Iwi confident its foreshore interests will be respected

By RUTH BERRY

An East Coast iwi in foreshore negotiations with the Government is confident many of its rights will be protected, but is steering clear of symbolic terms such as "title" which it says have served to cloud the debate.

However, it may yet seek some type of exemption from having its "ownership interests" expropriated by the Government if the negotiations aren't completed before the Foreshore and Seabed Bill is passed.

The Government announced on Monday that the Cabinet had approved terms of negotiation over the issue with Ngati Porou and Te Whanau a Apanui.

The terms are likely to be released after the iwi have got the approval of tribal members, possibly next week.

But legal counsel for Te Whanau a Apanui, Dayle Takitimu, said yesterday the terms set out the tribes' desire for the rights that flowed from their ownership interests to be recognised.

She did not believe the Government would have agreed to the terms if it was not prepared to seriously entertain the tribes' assertions.

On the flip side the Government's terms specified its desire to "protect its role and responsibility in terms of regulation and access and we accept their reality", Ms Takitimu said.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen refused to answer questions about the negotiations yesterday, saying announcements would be made once they were completed.

Ms Takitimu said despite the reference to "ownership interests", the iwi had focused on putting aside labels such as ownership and title in the discussions "to look underneath at what the substantive rights might be".

Te Whanau a Apanui wanted public recognition of those rights, which could involve some sort of title or declaration. But it might be necessary to be "more creative than that" and a position on how its interests should be recognised had yet to be firmed up.