Horomia defends consultation hui

Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia today defended foreshore and seabed consultation hui from Maori claims they were too rushed to be a genuine exercise.

Submissions on Government proposals that all New Zealanders own the foreshore and seabed as "public domain" close on October 3.

The Government yesterday announced a timetable of 11 hui, on marae from Whangarei to Bluff.

The first hui is to be held at Whangara marae, in Gisborne, on September 4. The last is at Auckland's Orakei marae on September 26.

All hui are scheduled to last four hours, which Maori regard as too short a time for proper consultation.

South Island iwi Ngai Tahu spokesman Mark Solomon told National Radio the hui process was a sham.

It would permit the Government to push ahead with its plans, while being able to say it had consulted Maori, he said.

"I don't call it a consultation -- this is basically 'this is what we're going to do', they've already made their decision," he said.

Mr Horomia said Maori should take time to put their views forward.

"It's very important, when you want to define and determine getting it right there will always be ups and downs in this thing," he said.

"I can't guarantee what happens at the end, but what I am encouraged by is that at least we are engaging and we are going out to front our people."

The Government has used the "phantom issue" of public access to erode and restrict Maori customary rights, organisers of a national hui on the foreshore and seabed issue said yesterday.

Te Ope Mana a Tai, a steering group led by Te Tau Ihu Iwi (Top of the South Island iwi) are arranging the hui -- not one of the Government series -- in Blenheim over the weekend.

Spokesman Paul Morgan said the Government's solution would not protect Maori customary rights.

"It is clear that the Government's three principles of public access, Crown management and certainty for other users override and subordinate the protection of Maori customary rights," he said.

Te Ope Mana a Tai believed the public was being grossly misled about the true nature and extent of customary rights.

"The Government is attempting to reduce our customary rights to discreet activities like gathering pipi," Mr Morgan said.

"Customary rights are much more than that. They include the right to manage an area, develop an area for cultural and economic benefits and the rights of use and access."

Mr Morgan said access to land below the high tide mark was a "phantom issue".

"Iwi have repeatedly said they have no intention of denying the public access to beaches.

"We see no reason why iwi ownership or kaitiakitanga of the foreshore and seabed cannot co-exist with public access."

Top of the South iwi were part of the group that won a Court of Appeal ruling saying they had the right to test their customary interests over the foreshore and the seabed in the Maori Land Court.

The court ruled Maori customary interests that could possibly lead to private title over land below the high tide mark had never been extinguished by any previous law.

The Government also came under attack in Parliament yesterday.

Opposition MPs claimed the Government had backtracked from legislating for Crown ownership, introducing instead the concept of the public domain.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen said the public domain idea was similar to the British idea of common land that no one could own.

He said change had been made because the language of ownership was divisive.

Dr Cullen repeated that the Government would still have the right to regulate use of land below the high tide mark.

Maori would still be able to claim customary interests in land through the Maori Land Court, but the law would make clear this could not be translated into private title ownership.

- NZPA