Turia defends backing for seabed bill

Tariana Turia. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia has defended her party's support for a new foreshore and seabed bill, despite describing it as drafted by politics, rather than what is fair and moral.

Political parties were taken by surprise this week when the Maori affairs select committee reported the bill back two weeks earlier than expected and recommended no major amendments, despite hundreds of submissions objecting to it.

Yesterday Labour leader Phil Goff said the Government was clearly using internal Maori Party problems as a decoy to try to push the bill through without getting attention.

Mrs Turia said his claim was blatantly false, as were accusations the Maori Party was selling out by continuing to support the bill despite the concerns of submitters. She said Mr Goff needed to remember that it was the 2004 bill - pushed through by Labour despite concerns of submitters - which had led to the current situation.

She said her party remained deeply unhappy with the tests for customary title - the aspect of the bill most iwi opposed.

"The mainstream parties - and this includes Labour - don't make their decisions based on what is fair, just or moral. They base it on the politics that 50 per cent of New Zealand are part of middle New Zealand and they are the ones who vote. It's very obvious to us it's a political decision."

However, the party still wanted the bill to become law because it met two core promises: to repeal the 2004 law and restore access to the courts.

She had been "very clear" about the position with Maori Party constituents and the Iwi Leaders' Group, which she said had accepted the situation.

Despite repeated pleas, the only concession on the tests from the Government was to ensure iwi and hapu would not be penalised if they lost links to the coast because their land was confiscated. That was done by removing the previous test requiring ownership of the coastline.

Attorney-General Chris Finlayson dismissed criticisms about the process as "a lot of beltway parliamentary noise".

He said he had made it clear he would not budge further on the tests for customary title which required continuous use and occupation of the foreshore and seabed since 1840.

He also rejected claims the Government was ignoring the wishes of submitters, saying he had already announced two changes in response to concerns - including specifying public access would be "free" and passing government-negotiated deals as legislation to allow public scrutiny.

He acknowledged some iwi were disappointed - including the South Island's Ngai Tahu, which has again called for the bill to be dropped.

"I think [Ngai Tahu] would like tests that would yield large portions of the coastline to them."