Deal May Influence NZ Election
Maori Group Wins Right to Veto Coastal Development Projects
A deal between the New Zealand government and East Coast group Ngati Porou protecting customary rights on the foreshore and seabed is announced in election year.
An agreement between a major East Coast Maori tribe and the government announced this week could become a significant issue in the 2008 elections.
Details of the deal with the Ngati Porou people were made public the day before New Zealand’s national day on February 6. The February 6 holiday celebrates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 between Maori and the British Crown. Ngati Porou is one of the largest Maori groups, and has a significant presence in Wellington, the capital city.
According to Tracy Watkins in the Waitangi Day Dominion Post, by terms of the agreement, Ngati Porou would be able to veto a development such as a marina if it could have an impact on customary use of the coastline. The government has also agreed to consult Ngati Porou on fisheries and conservation issues in the tribal region of the East Coast and to take the group into account during consent processes related to resource management. Certain aspects of the deal must still be ratified by the High Court.
The fact that an agreement has been made is not unusual. Different governments have made settlements with different Maori groups, and Ngati Porou has been negotiating with the Crown for a number of years.
However, the agreement appears to provide some protection for Ngati Porou from possible implications of the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act. This Act was widely regarded by Maori as continuing an historical process of confiscation of Maori land and rights, and there may be some concern about the impact of the agreement on opposition to the Act in an election year.
The Green Party and the Maori Party have been sharply critical of the agreement with Ngati Porou, although the National Party, the major partner in the official opposition to the government, has been cautious in its reaction to date. National Party leader John Key has been working to build relationships with Maori and made a high-profile appearance with Maori activist Tame Iti at Waitangi Day celebrations in the Far North.
The timing of the announcement, a day before the national holiday in an election year, has also attracted some comment. Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia, who holds the Ikaroa-Rawhiti electorate where Ngati Porou is based, is expected to face tough electoral opposition from a high-profile candidate from the Maori Party, possibly broadcaster Derek Fox.
The New Zealand election is expected to be held in the last quarter of 2008.
