May 28, 2015
Supreme Court to hear Ngati Whakahemo plea
The Supreme Court has agreed to head an appeal by former minister Mita Ririnui against Landcorp's sale of a Bay of Plenty dairy farm.
The Court of Appeal had ruled that Landcorp's decision to sell the farm wasn't subject to ministerial oversight or judicial review.
Landcorp's then deputy chair, Traci Houpapa, had been criticised for making the iwi think it still had the chance to put in a bid, but the Appeal Court said that did not amount to bad faith.
The Supreme says the questions it will address are the claimed bad faith on the part of Landcorp, the acknowledged error of law by the Office of Treaty Settlements in its advice to Landcorp that Ngati Whakahemo's claim had been settled, and the failure of the shareholding Ministers of Landcorp to intervene.
An injunction against the sale of the $19 million farm was extended until the case is heard.
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