I have been invited to respond to a piece written by Don Brash. I love the man for his passion for New Zealand, as I share that. We have different views about how we forge the future as a nation and part of the joy of our democracy is that we are free to disagree and still acknowledge each other. Instead of focusing on the detail Mr Brash put forward, I would rather focus on what Maori and non-Maori within Tauranga have in common. This is more important now than at any time in my memory because whether people know it or not we are all facing a serious challenge to our way of life. And I can assure you that this time the three iwi of Tauranga and all of its citizens need to be aligned in order to try and stop what is happening.
Hauraki iwi muscling in on Tauranga settlement
The Office of Treaty Settlements is pushing to sign a Treaty settlement with a group of iwi from Hauraki which would give rights in Tauranga to people who do not come from here, have historically not lived here, and have not the same feeling of belonging to this place as we do, Maori and non-Maori alike. This same group was given such rights in Auckland in 2009 where they also hadn’t a history or had lived in the area. The result was that the original five iwi grew to 19 iwi, all with a say in what goes on in the city and the ability to sit on committees and boards that set policy for the city.
The Hauraki iwi effect: increased consultation costs
The effect of this intrusion by the Hauraki tribes is best seen by homeowners, businesses and developers who are now required to consult with up to 19 iwi if they want to do something on their properties. Nineteen iwi now get a say in consent processes, recreational fishing, how government departments such as Primary Industries, Conservation and Councils operate. Most importantly if someone is making alterations on their property, each individual iwi can have a say about that. If a change is being made such as a new deck or expanded house, homeowners will have to write to a number of iwi stipulated by their council. The experience in Auckland is that those iwi can individually charge fees to do assessments about the cultural impact of that development. Our belief is this way of operating is dishonest and allowing this group of carpetbaggers and opportunists into Tauranga comes from flawed thinking at government level.
Help us stop this now
So, we are serious when we ask for your help. We want to stop this as much as you will. The Minister of Treaty Negotiations Chris Finlayson has not listened to us; that is why we blockaded the Tauranga Harbour entrance, to see if that would get his attention and the attention of his Cabinet colleagues.
What needs to happen is for you and everyone you know to send a message to Bill English bill.english@parliament.govt.nz and to your MPs and to your mayors and chairs to tell them you don’t want this deal to be signed.
Partnership is often just words until it is hardened and tempered in a common fight. I think this is it.
