Maori Affairs Minister Te Ururoa Flavell is forging ahead with controversial reforms to Maori land law despite calls for further consultation on it.
The bill was due to be introduced last month, but a Waitangi Tribunal report released in March found the Crown would be in breach of Treaty principles if the law was changed against Maori wishes and further consultation was needed to ensure well-informed support from Maori.
Mr Flavell introduced the Te Ture Whenua Maori Bill to Parliament today, saying he believed that since the Waitangi Tribunal's hearings many of its concerns had been addressed through further changes to the legislation and rounds of hui.
Mr Flavell said many areas with significant Maori land, such as the Far North and East Coast, were crying out for more jobs and a reason for Maori to return to their lands and the bill would help that happen.
Labour's Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri said Mr Flavell would have to show he had met the Waitangi Tribunal's criteria including proving he had broad support and providing evidence on what the barriers were for the utilisation of Maori land.