Armstrong on Foreshore & Seabed
April 1st, 2010 at 7:00 am by David FarrarJohn Armstrong writes:
National’s long-awaited prescription for healing that weeping political sore otherwise known as the foreshore and seabed should be grabbed with both hands by the Maori Party.
It will not get a better deal than the one outlined in the discussion document released by Attorney-General Chris Finlayson yesterday. National has stretched beyond the normal limits of its flexibility to come up with a lasting solution.
A stark assessment.
The arrival (finally) of Finlayson’s discussion document heralds Decision Day for the party, however. It can no longer cling to the foreshore and seabed like some kind of comfort blanket.
It is now or never – or, at least, not for a long time to come.
That means swallowing National’s intention to make the the foreshore and seabed a “public domain” which no one owns, something which sticks in the craw of Maori who insist ownership of the foreshore and seabed is their inalienable right.
That can be insisted upon, but in no way is that what the Court of Appeal ruled.
Related posts:
- Agreement reached on Foreshore & Seabed
- Foreshore & Seabed Act may be toast
- The Foreshore & Seabed proposals
- Reaction to Foreshore & Seabed Report
April 1st, 2010 at 7:04 am
This will open a new round of compensation claims for those which were already ‘settled’.
This is my annoyance, that each generation of kiwis will have to endure new rounds of maori compensation everytime an associated law or new technology or natural resource is discovered.
Vote:April 1st, 2010 at 7:07 am
As expected, troubled times lie ahead regarding the government’s proposal. I suspect that Key thought it would be easy to appease Maori, that all he had to do was repeal the old law.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3538608/Foreshore-and-seabed-solution-hits-troubled-waters
Vote:April 1st, 2010 at 7:11 am
As the article on Stuff makes clear, some Maori want ownership of the foreshore and seabed but that the public will have access. Hmmm, the question would then become: how much would the public have to pay to gain access? This issue is all about money and exposes the true intentions of what some Maori want. Was money at the centre of traditional Maori living?
Vote:April 1st, 2010 at 7:32 am
No, ross, money wasn’t – warfare was. This is just another ‘battle’ in the war that for many Maori is going to go on ‘Ake, Ake, Ake (Forever, forever, forever) – war that is, according to those who should know better, never, ever, ever going to end.
Vote:April 1st, 2010 at 7:39 am
No doubt the controversial Treaty of Waitangi lawyer Donna Hall will be a happy gal.
Vote:April 1st, 2010 at 7:49 am
The foreshore and seabed “solution” is the legislative equivalent of being told…
No one owns the family car parked in the driveway, you can look at it and touch it but ultimately you will have to ask your Maori neighbour if you want to take it out for a spin.
All relationships are about power and control – as a white New Zealander it seems I no longer have any, despite being born here.
Vote:April 1st, 2010 at 8:40 am
Why can’t New Zealand and New Zealanders own the areas in question? There is not a piece of land in the whole world that nobody owns, if there was someone would run and plant a flag. Columbus and others like him did exactly that. Our government is weak and it shows, populism will be their downfall.
Vote:April 1st, 2010 at 8:56 am
No one will ever try to please hone Hawariwa for the simple reason that nothing will ever meet with his approval. Make this a take or leave it deal, you can have this or what Labour rammed down your throats.
Grow the hell up and join the 21st century.
As far as I’m concerned this is already way more pandering to a race that wants minority rule then is reasonable anyway.
Vote:April 1st, 2010 at 10:01 am
John Key is a man of compromise not principle, he’s a trader and everything has a price.
It is very simple, the foreshore and seabed is owned equally by all New Zealand citizens, so if you have the passport you have ownership jointly with everyone else who is a citizen.
Why he and National can’t articulate that I don’t understand.
Unless they intend to make Maori owners of our land?
Give your Party vote to ACT next election, if you want National to have any backbone
Vote:April 1st, 2010 at 11:47 am
Much of the foreshore is already in private ownership (probably mostly not by Maori).
Vote:April 1st, 2010 at 4:03 pm
You will notice the foreshore in private pakeha hands has a difference to what they are proposing for horis and the foreshore.
Vote:The pakeha get full property rights where as the hori do not.
My solution, put ALL the foreshore into crown hands with no exceptions or compensation.
Amusing how many pakeha are against one rule for all when equal pain is dished out
April 1st, 2010 at 5:17 pm
“My solution, put ALL the foreshore into crown hands with no exceptions or compensation.
Vote:Amusing how many pakeha are against one rule for all when equal pain is dished out ”
I think you are correct gumpy .. our people can be hypocritical with things like this.
I can still see Turia’s people putting up toll booths at beaches all around the country and having tribal members intimidating my people on the beaches as they are already doing.
When you watch “coast watch”, the worst offenders were Asians, Islanders and Turia’s people. There were examples of my people but when you compare stats, my people, being the majority, are the minority in the violations.
Now, I’m sure the majority of my people, want Turia’s people to regain the mana they feel they lost but lets move on eh??
April 1st, 2010 at 5:59 pm
“Drew #1 10:03 am Apr 01 2010
Coming from a country which was invaded and conquered by the Romans, raped and pillaged by the Vikings – that’s real rape and real pillage, not Hone Harawira’s version – and then invaded and partially conquered by the Normans, I read this article with pure amazement. What is going on? Is this the (justifiably) proud nation of New Zealand or some third world settlement squabbling like dogs over a carcase? What happened, happened, and cannot be undone – it’s time to join the real world and work together for the future of this country.”
This is what someone said on the Dom’s website .. My dad was Scottish, my mum from English stock, similar to Drew I guess, and he took the words right out of my mouth.
Vote:April 1st, 2010 at 7:24 pm
This is a disaster in the making.
With the notion that the beaches are theirs and not Crown protected anymore there will be hoards of Maoris in areas of New Zealand using violence to state their point and block access.
Remember the old guy at Raglan.
It is just another door opened to the ugliness, not to mention the huge number of court claims which will follow and politics cannot control the judges.
Uh oh.
Another nose dive for the short sighted country.
Vote: