Plan to give courthouse land to iwi criticised

A government move to vest ownership of the Wanganui courthouse in local iwi has outraged some in the local community.

The courthouse is part of a block of land that includes Moutua Gardens, known to Maori as Pakaitore, the site of months of occupation and protest in the mid '90s.

In a low-key ceremony yesterday, Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia initialled a settlement returning the courthouse and its land.

Mr Horomia said the Crown offer was the culmination of more than four years of negotiations.

The land and building would offer an income stream for iwi, with rental to be paid by the Justice Department to lease the site, he said. "This is about putting a wrong right and the beginning of the process to conclude the tribe's outstanding treaty claims."

Claim negotiator Ken Mair said the offer was a very small part of the tribe's overall claim.

He said it was premature to celebrate the return, as iwi members were yet to ratify the offer.

"This is just a quarter of an acre of the millions of acres that were taken."

He said the tribe's claim included the return of the Whanganui River, and more than a million hectares of tribal lands, including land the Wanganui township now sits on.

Iwi members were likely to accept the offer, with a decision expected by early December, he said.

However, he warned against any interpretation that acceptance showed greater compliance from negotiators, with tribal members frustrated by the rigid negotiation and settlement process.

The Waitangi Tribunal is set to hear the tribe's land claim next March.

Some Wanganui residents told the Weekend Herald they were surprised and disappointed with the Government's offer.

Rochelle Minnell said while she understood the tribe had claims to land, she did not accept that should include buildings built upon it.

"What's next, is it the [Moutua] Gardens? When are these claims going to stop?"

Jenny Vickers said there was a growing frustration within the community to the Government's willingness to use taxpayer funding to pander to Maori.

Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws was surprised some in the community were unaware of pending Treaty claims.

He said it demonstrated "ignorance" and a failure to read the newspaper.