Fisheries on Fox's menu

By AUDREY YOUNG political reporter

The Maori party Derek Fox plans to launch in June wants a return to the fisheries allocation model of the previous Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission.

The former commission went through a long and thorough process to arrive at its so-called optimum method for allocation, Mr Fox said.

"If you give a job to someone you should let them see it through."

Asked if it would be the policy of the new party to support the proposed model, he said it would be.

Mr Fox said the assets belonged to iwi.

"Everyone has an iwi. They can't be Maori if they don't have some form of iwi and whakapapa to it."

That would not prevent other arrangements between iwi and Maori urban groups, he said.

The former commission, chaired by Ngai Tahu leader Sir Tipene O'Regan, was prevented from reporting its final model to the Government because of legal challenges.

The new commission, chaired by Tai Tokerau leader Shane Jones, has begun negotiation with three groups of plaintiffs to try to resolve the litigation outside court.

The negotiations are being chaired by retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Rodney Gallen.

Former Labour Maori affairs minister Koro Wetere is chairing the commission's dispute resolution team.

The old commission took five years to produce a model under which $350 million of fisheries assets, held in trust by the commission, would be allocated to iwi.

It was a compromise between allocation of fishing quota on the basis of iwi population or on the basis of an iwi's coastline.

The Treaty Tribes coalition of 35 iwi wants the model implemented immediately. Chairman Harry Mikaere said allocation issue was a "litmus issue," though the coalition was non-partisan.

Mr Fox has already been closely linked to the Treaty Tribes.

He was a keynote speaker at a Treaty Tribes hui at Waipatu marae in Hastings last November, at which a new Maori party was discussed.

It is the home marae of Ngahiwi Tomoana, chairman of the Ngati Kahungunu iwi authority, a key organiser of the party.

Mr Fox also had a hui and blessing for the party at the same marae on Waitangi day.