The government released its water policy last month, see HERE. It avoids dealing with the question of ownership, instead focusing first on cleaning up rivers, and then looking into the more difficult issue of water allocation. Continue reading

The High Court’s initial ‘priority’ claim under the Marine and Coastal Area Act is for a stretch of coastline in the southern Hawke’s Bay from Whangaehu to Cape Turnagain - see CIV-2011-485-789 here >https://www.nzcpr.com/marine-and-coastal-area-act-claim-ap…/    Continue reading

Rino Tirikatene, who represents Labour in the Maori seat of Te Tai Tonga, is fighting to entrench the Maori seats, whereby a vote of 75 percent of MPs would be needed to get rid of them. Continue reading

The process is underway to hear the applications for the recognition of customary interests that have been registered in the High Court. The initial focus has been on applications where the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, on behalf of the Crown, has already decided to engage. They are listed on the Ministry of Justice website - to view please click HERE. Continue reading

A bill seeking to entrench the Māori seats into New Zealand electoral law – requiring a 75 per cent majority of Parliament to get rid of them - has passed its first reading in Parliament with the support of New Zealand First. See news report HERE. Continue reading

According to a NZ Herald report, the ‘Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti’ agency will help facilitate the next step in the Treaty relationship – moving beyond the settlement of treaty grievances into what it means to work together in partnerships. It will also provide leadership across the public sector on other matters including the constitutional and institutional arrangements supporting partnerships between the Crown and Māori.   Continue reading

The citizens of the Western Bay of Plenty have shown us the way once again. After seeing off an attempt by their council to introduce race-based wards, the citizens have actively challenged a proposal put forward by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council (WBPDC) to scrap its five democratically elected community boards and replace them with three community committees, to be made up of council-appointed members. The Maketu community alone made 300 public submissions – overwhelmingly in favour of the democratically elected boards. With such a result, the council had no option but to back down. Continue reading

In 2014 the Waitangi Tribunal released a controversial report that claimed Maori did not give up sovereignty. "That is, they did not cede authority to make and enforce law over their people or their territories," the Tribunal said. In a brief statement responding to the report, Attorney-General and Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson said: "There is no question that the Crown has sovereignty in New Zealand. This report doesn't change that fact." Continue reading

The new memorial plaque on the Ports of Auckland frontage, on Quay St, states "Te Kawau gifted 3000 acres to establish the City of Auckland." It replaces a plaque which referred to a purchase rather than a gift. Continue reading

According to the law firm Chapman Tripp, a recent Supreme Court decision will reshape expectations on central and local Government on their approach to dealing with iwi interests. The decision allows Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to continue to argue their legal rights as mana whenua in the Tāmaki isthmus, and continues to establish the place of tikanga in the common law of New Zealand said. Nick Wells, Chapman Tripp’s Hoa Rangapū Whakarae (chief executive partner) says: Continue reading