Govt 'gets the message' on Treaty clause

State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall. Photo / APN

State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall has effectively acknowledged it will be difficult for the Government to ignore a strong consensus among Maori for a long-standing Treaty clause to cover state-owned assets in which shares are sold.

At a Government hui in Wellington yesterday, several high-powered Maori voiced strong support for using section nine of the State Owned Enterprises Act in new legislation to cover the four state-owned energy companies tagged for partial sale.

They included Federation of Maori Authorities deputy chairman James Wheeler, former Waitangi Tribunal director Morrie Love, former activist and iwi leader Mike Smith, and former Maori Party MP Rahui Katene.

Lawyer Donna Hall also read out a message from Maori Council chairman Sir Graham Latimer saying a Treaty clause should bind all shareholders rather than just the Crown. "Section nine was put in place to protect the whole cake - not half of it."

Yesterday, Mr Ryall assured those at the hui several times that the Government had an open mind and "would have to be pretty slow" not to realise the consensus was for section nine to be used - an indication he was aware how difficult it would be for the Government to now ignore that feedback.

"We've certainly been getting the message," he said.

Section nine requires the Crown not to act in a manner inconsistent with the Treaty of Waitangi and was the subject of several major court decisions on the Treaty.

The final hui will be in Hawkes Bay on Monday and written submissions are due by February 22.