November 28, 2016
Owners shut out in land law reform
Labour’s Ikaroa Rawhiti MP says Te Ture Whenua Maori Bill doesn’t deliver the improvements Maori landowners were promised.
Labour, Green and New Zealand First MPs on the select committee have issued a minority report on why they can’t support the bill, which was reported back last week.
Meka Whaitiri says the MPs tried to work constructively to fix the bill’s flaws, but the will of the Government and Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell prevailed.
She says there are still major question marks over the role and funding of the proposed Maori Land Service.
There are also concerns about the way the bill gives greater decision-making power to some owners over others, and in same cases will bypass owners in the name of development.
"You’ve got all these kaiwhakahaere, kaiwhakawaenga, kaiwhakamarumaru's. These are people who will be appointed to run your land. One of the cornerstones the Maori Party said this bill was about was to retain the tino rangatiratanga of your land, and I would challenge that, because they've got all these outside positions all ready go to come in and manage that land for people who have no structures over them," Ms Whaitiri says.
Some major Maori economic entities asked changes in the bill allowing them to opt our and continue business under their existing trust deeds.
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