March 29, 2017
Fisheries settlement ongoing fight
The chair of Te Ohu Kaimoana has told iwi they have to keep fighting to ensure the crown doesn't undermine the Maori fisheries settlement.
Speaking to the Maori Fisheries Conference in Auckland today, Jamie Tuuta says the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill and the government’s Future of Our Fisheries proposals shows Maori and iwi have taken their eye off the ball when it comes to fighting for their rights.
Maori backed the quota management system in 1992 because it offered a right to fish in perpetuity dependent only on meeting sustainability.
That fitted with the Maori idea of kaitiaki, that we have a responsibility to past and future generations.
He says fisheries settlement was the beginning of a collective iwi economic awakening and revitalisation for Maori.
It also confirmed an ongoing relationship between the Crown and iwi over fisheries matters, which means Maori must hold the line against the crown making unilateral decisions.
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