KEY POINTS:
Maori protesting the sale of Crown-owned land in the Coromandel have won an 11th-hour reprieve with Landcorp putting the sale on hold.
Hauraki Maori began occupying the $10 million 1100ha Landcorp block at Whenuakite on Sunday, saying it was important land that would form part of a treaty
claim.
Landcorp had put the block up for sale, with a decision on the successful tender expected this week.
But State-owned Enterprises Minister Trevor Mallard today announced Landcorp had agreed the sale, and another at Rangiputa in Northland, would parked for a month while the agency's sales policy was reviewed.
The review would focus on making sure the non-commercial values of all "sensitive and significant land" was properly considered before it was put on the market.
It would be wider than merely looking at land potentially subject to treaty claims.
Much of Landcorp's holdings had heritage, conservation or recreational values - particularly coastal land - and it was not necessarily desirable to have that land sold to be developed into subdivisions, Mr Mallard said.
"I'm quite anxious, like a lot of New Zealanders, about the high proportion of coastal land in New Zealand which is being sold off into private ownership without necessarily having the access rights that have been previously available preserved.
"I think that's one of the issues that should be looked at."
Mr Mallard refused to directly say whether the review would result in the sale of Whenuakite being scrapped, but indicated it was likely.
"My expectation is that we would have a set of rules which mean that for sensitive land, it will not be going on to the open market system."
It was likely the Government would put in place an interim policy, while a more detailed long-term policy was developed.
It was possible the final policy would have a set of criteria for a sensitive land regime, similar to the Overseas Investment Commission.
Mr Mallard said the decisions on the review were made independent of pressure from the Maori Party which today called on Maori to occupy land subject to treaty claims.
Mr Mallard said the party's MPs were promoting "anarchy" and had not even approached him directly about the issue before they made the call.
Prime Minister Helen Clark also said the actions of Maori Party MPs were unhelpful.
Mr Mallard said the Government would also conduct a more general review of land allocated to Landcorp when it was set up in 1987.
He did not know how much of Landcorp's holdings could be classified as sensitive.
Land that was not sold could be continued to be used for farming, for forestry, or allowed to revert to native forest.
Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell said the Government announcement was a "mighty victory for iwi".
"We are pleased the Government has stepped up to the mark."
He said iwi had exercised their rights - through the occupation - in a responsible way.
National Party leader John Key said the Government had buckled under pressure as a result of its "botched Treaty settlement process".
"The precedent set by this should be of concern to all.
"Combine that with the totally inappropriate call today by the Maori Party for 'direct action' over land disputes and you have a recipe for chaos."
He said the issue should have been left for the courts or the Waitangi Tribunal.
Hauraki and Tainui Maori will meet with Treaty Negotiations Minister Mark Burton tonight to discuss their protest.
The meeting was called by Tainui chairman Tuku Morgan.
Mr Morgan has described Landcorp's intention to sell the Whenuakite Station, between Whitianga and Tairua, as a modern example of confiscation.
Landcorp offered to sell the land to the Office of Treaty Settlements, but were turned down.
The High Court at Hamilton will tomorrow consider an application for an injunction to stop Landcorp accepting any tenders on Whenuakite Station.
- NZPA
