Sighs of relief at Rangiputa

The Ngati Kahu occupiers of a farm on the Karikari Peninsula say they're relieved Landcorp has deferred the sale of the 9.3-hectare block of coastal land for a year while the Government reviews its land-sale policies.
However, they say they will keep occupying a farmhouse at Rangiputa, overlooking the Rangaunu Harbour, until their treaty settlement claims are negotiated with the Crown.
State Owned Enterprises Minister Trevor Mallard announced yesterday that a 12-month moratorium had been placed on two Landcorp properties - at Rangiputa, worth around $5million, and Whenuakite Station, worth $10million, on Coromandel Peninsula.
The deferral followed discussions with Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia and members of the Labour Maori caucus, he said.
Richard Lawrence, spokesman for the negotiating committee, He Uri o Whakatupuranga, welcomed the news. ``It gives us time to prepare ourselves and then look to negotiating the return of all our lands with the Crown. Our next step will be to have a korero and to wait for official papers from the Government. At least we know we're out of the immediate red zone and we can now plan for the future.
"But we still have no intention of ending our occupation. We made a decision to stay here until our lands are permanently returned and we will negotiate to that end to try to get back all 9000ha that belongs to the Ngati Kahu."
Mr Lawrence said he was especially pleased MPs Shane Jones and Dover Samuels had moved quickly and achieved more in such a short space of time than previously appointed negotiators.
Mr Jones said the decision vindicated the effort put in by the Government's Maori Caucus. They had been embarrassed by the minister's failure to inform them of the initial review following the Hauraki occupation at Whenuakite where Maori MPs scored a political victory by calling for more occupations. "This is indeed an excellent outcome and it strips any anxiety that he community and the local iwi (Ngati Kahu) have had while the Government looks to begin negotiations in earnest," Mr Jones said. "It is also a vindication for the Labour Maori Caucus after all the criticism we received. It shows that we have worked effectively for an outcome which now allows the Government time to negotiate with Ngati Kahu."
Mr Jones said he and Mr Samuels would be involved in negotiations with Ngati Kahu, who had appointed a five-person negotiating committee spearheaded by the chairman of the New Zealand Maori Council Sir Graham Latimer and including kaumatua Atihana Johns, Pereniki Tauhare, Alan Hereraka and Mr Lawrence.
"However, we'll have to wait a little while Sir Graham (Latimer) recovers and regains his strength for these negotiations," he said.
Sir Graham has been in hospital in Auckland recovering from heart surgery.