Residents of the small Coromandel town of Pauanui are upset that the beachfront strip of land that encircles their town has been offered as part of a settlement to local treaty claimants, Ngati Hei. Pauanui, located just over 40km south of Whitianga, is a popular destination for Auckland holidaymakers in the summer, when the town’s population swells from 740 to 15,000.
The Pauanui Ratepayer and Residents Association said that government treaty negotiator Mike Dreaver, with co-operation from the Thames Coromandel District Council, had offered Ngati Hei sites including the entire Pauanui beachfront reserve and Estuary reserve, effectively “ring fencing” Pauanui from the water.
Pauanui properties there with views of the ocean regularly sell for over $1-million. The reserve would have little commercial value to Ngati Hei unless reserve status is revoked, which may be done by the government of the day.
Should reserves status be revoked, owners of million dollar beach front Pauanui properties face the prospect of having large houses built between them and the sea, blocking ocean views and eroding their property values.
“The entire process was carried out without any public consultation of stakeholders”, a statement from the Pauanui Ratepayer association said. “Other than public knowledge that in general terms treaty settlement negotiations were being carried out, the only specific document we located was a list of several hundred sites identified as suitable for settlement purposes published in 2011”.(1)
Ngati Hei claims to have lived in the area for 1000 years and keep alive the memory of massacres of their forebears in the early 1800s by Nga Puhi. The Ngati Hei Trust Board represents an estimated 350 members.(2)
Two pages on the tribe’s website devoted to “land struggles” don’t say that their forebears sold the land, preferring to characterise their land history as of “loss and confiscation for hundreds of years. However, Henry Hansen Turton’s record shows more than 60 land sales deeds for Coromandel.(3)
The Agreement in Principal between Ngati Hei, as part of the Hauraki Collective, and the Crown implies land sales by forebears as the main issue in complaints about the Native Land Court, individualisation of title, pre-1840 purchases and the pre-emption waiver that allowed direct negotiations between Maori vendors and non-Maori buyers.
The Pauanui ratepayer association wrote to Prime Minister John Key expressing concern that these reserves will pass from crown to private ownership, pointing out that Pauanui has no great cultural or historical significance, and stressing that giving away the reserves would have a huge impact on a large number of affected third parties.
A group including representatives from the Pauanui ratepayer association met Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson, Coromandel MP Scott Simpson and Thames-Coromandel Mayor Glenn Leach on Friday, January 3. Pauanui representatives put forward 15 questions while arguing that reserves must remain in Crown ownership. The Government was expected to report back within 15 days.
At the meeting and in a subsequent press release, Finlayson said that “this settlement has nothing to do with the foreshore and seabed.” However, Clause 11e of the agreement in principle notes that the Hauraki Collective also seeks that the historical account includes a statement saying “the Crown unilaterally suspended the rule of law when inconvenient foreshore and seabed decisions were made by the judiciary”.
The ratepayers group stressed that Pauanui property owners have a reasonable expectation that the reserves around their town (shown as Crown reserves in original advertising material) would remain in Crown hands and the use and enjoyment of these would remain unchanged.
“This is an issue that affects all property owners, the Pauanui group said, “with ramifications for all communities with Crown owned property”.
They are considering a national advertising and awareness campaign, lobbying of MPs, withholding rates, and possibly a class action. Waitara, where 769 leasehold sections are under offer to Te Ati Awa, is another area where a treaty settlement is affecting ratepayers.(4)
Dreaver, who was happy to negotiate away beach front reserves in a treaty settlement, last year was named the top-earning treaty negotiator, earning $1.5-million in fees since 2008.(5)
Sources
1. “Ngati Hei and the Crown – Agreement in Principle Equivalent – July 2011”. http://nz01.terabyte.co.nz/ots/DocumentLibrary/NgatiHeiAIPE.pdf
2. Ngati Hei home page, www.ngatihei.iwi.nz
3. Maori Deeds of Land Sales in the North Island of New Zealand, Vol 1. http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Tur01Nort.html
4.Land wars to lease wars, http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9542321/Land-wars-to-lease-wars
5. Treaty cases earn top dollar for 'top team', http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8314679/Treaty-cases-earn-top-dollar-for-top-team
12 comments:
I think that this is more treachery from those traitors-to-NZ Key and Finlayson. I'd like to see them get life in jail for this kind of treason. They are inciting racial hatred and destroying NZ.
...Thanks Barry....Key/Finlayson govt. have betrayed their own supporters as well as ALL New Zealanders..who will lose more and more of their precious coast under the 'thieving and racist Marine and Coastal Areas Act...creating a country divided against itself...signs of disintegration are increasing...an Act Of Treason..no less...the Greatest Swindle in the History of New Zealand....'extreme racism ' will dwell in this country until this Act is repealed...
...Good for you Mike....refer to John McLean's "Seabed and Foreshore: 'we will fight them on the beachs'....Never Never surrender....Down with the 'Maori Mafia' set up by Finlayson/Key...Act of Treason....
Pauanui.
As Mike states the crux of this whole matter lies in the basic fact that the citizens of Pauanui where never consulted over what they wanted. In plain words Maori aspirations, desires, claims come first; which the Key Government acknowledged when they signed the U.N. Declaration of Indigenous Rights placing this document above the law of New Zealand.
All NON Maori are therefore second class citizens. Why? Because we have one of the most undemocratic electoral systems in the Western World, namely M.M.P. Can we rightly describe our present electoral process as democratic when nearly half of our Members of Parliament have never stood before the people at election time?
What is the next stop in our democracy the realisation that the cost and trouble of electing the remaining M.P’s be reassessed, and we adopt the appointment of Parliamentary representatives? Minority government may sound a comfortable acceptable solution, but the end result is that it travels the well worn pathway of Nazism and Communism.
Add this to the fact that Maori are being granted extras over and above the rest of us because of their “ethnic culture”. Which in reality, is because they hold National or Labour in the hollow of their hand. Power is a great aphrodisiac, especially when Maori are fortified by the cultural actions of the United Nations in overriding our present Westminster system.
This “Hole in the Wall” will become if we let it, “The Black Hole of New Zealand Democracy”. Failure by National to implement Marine Law above this cultural blackmail; will send the strongest signal to Maoridom yet, that they are in virtual control of this country.
In this election year the major question must in gaining an answer from all our Political Parties on whether we are one nation or two.
Brian
..so Brian, on a practical level how can this be accomplished..? the media does just not discuss this topic in depth.....be good to have your thoughts on this aspect...Thank you
Where is this divisive nonsense ever going to end.. It's got way past the point of being annoying.. Its really starting to affect every day peoples lives.. And its set to get worse.. Much much worse.. If the Maori party get to be the king makes come next election Nz is going to be knee deep in it..
John Key has said he will happily work with The conservative party.. We need to all get together and vote the Conservative Party in, so that they are the king makers, as they its some of their key policies, to ditch the out dated T.O.W. and put a stop to all the nonsense that we are getting from radical Maori.. Think things are bad now? check out link below to see just how bad its going to get if we don't get The Conservative Party in come next election.
http://1law4all.kiwi.nz/aucklands-unitary-plan/
Well spotted Mike.
“the Crown unilaterally suspended the rule of law when inconvenient foreshore and seabed decisions were made by the judiciary”.
This is another sneaky attempt to rewrite our constitutional arrangements to make Parliament subservient to judges, many of whom actually believe they make the law.
Muriel.
This may not qualify for an answer to Chris H. As Editor the decision is yours. IS THIS WORTHY OF A QUESTION TO ALL OUR MEMBERS?
That’s a tough call Chris.
Practical, you need more than just one person, but for the record as an amateur I’ll take a stab at it.
Electoral Situation
Firstly nothing can be done unless we free our Politicians and the general public, from the curse of MMP, but at the moment in Parliament whoever governs has to accede to the blackmail demands of minor parties. This has reduced the effectiveness of democratic Parliamentary government in New Zealand.
A truly Democratic Government is when we all have the right to elect our Members of Parliament.
Political Democracy.
We need the “Open Access Pattern” of Government:-
A faster growing economy. A society with more organisations, manned by volunteers to ensure a better civil society. More interest by us all in what goes on around us by belonging to organisations; not only Sporting Ones!
A decentralized Government... (.i.e.”smaller Government), less bureaucracy and a reduction of our ever growing State employment sector)”. Less involvement by a Government in commercial activities.
The Local Government must have re-defined perimeters or boundaries to avoid the excess spending on non core activities as incurred by many Local Bodies since the revision of the 1980’s.
Private Enterprise
A private sector governed by the rule of a proper functioning commercial law. Yet encouraged to expand thru its own endeavors, and freed from the shackles of unnecessary bureaucratic regulations, and self defeating environmental laws framed by ideological theorists.
Finance.
The idea that Government has the right to attempt to borrow its way out of debt by loading generations to come with such a debt, is not only immoral it is counterproductive.
By the same token, private debt has to be contained to acceptable levels, unrestrained credit facilities to people who have little or no asset basis by Banks or private lending firms has to be controlled. The removal of Credit cards and the substitution of Debit cards would be a step in the right direction.
Export Sector.
Since the rise of China in becoming our largest export destination we seem to have forgotten the lesson of placing nearly all our eggs in one basket. As was the case with the U.K. from the 19th century until the advent of the E.U.
Trade yes, domination an entirely different matter.
General Comments
1. In a political sense we must adopt Edmund Burke’s idea of “social contact” as opposed to Rousseau’s “general will”. I would suggest Chris that you read Burke’s (1790) “Reflections on the Revolution in France”.
2. We must move back to the Rule of Law as against the Rule of Lawyers, For Reference - Charles Dickens “Bleak House “.
3. We must be very wary of the direction being taken by the largest world bureaucracy the U.N.. All the more so, since the Obama administration has abandoned its world leadership in favour of popularity.
We would do well to remember that on the top of the Old Bailey in London is the blindfolded figure of Justice, holding the scales! Before the law there are no Europeans, no Maori/Pacific Islanders, and no Asians, only New Zealanders.
There are many others factors that I have left out and I would suggest that many members of NZCPR might wish to have their say on this matter? Perhaps Muriel might consider some sort of general question for us all in this election year.
Finally my apologies for this rather rough incomplete précis type effort, which demands quite obviously, more input from all of us if our descendants are going to have any future.
Complements of the Season. Brian
The people of Nga Puhi having won this land in battle are the ones that should be consulted. They are the true heirs. Come on guys Hone Heke had a lot going for him, like Napolean and the Duchy of Warsaw he knew what a buffer state was. I say invite the Nga Puhi down for round two. Murray Scott.
Just another disgusting piece of reverse racism.I am telling my children to get their qualifications and leave NZ.So sad, we used to have a great country. All those stupiid academics who have told Maori how badly they have been treated and helped them do this to the rest of us..thanks for nothing.When will it end? Shame on you Finlayson, you have betrayed us all.
...to Anonymous on the 25/01/2014...I entirely agree with your statement..100% Have a read of "The 100 Days - Claiming Back New Zealand...What has gone wrong and how we can control our politicians "...by Amy Brooke..all the family should read this...Local libraries should be able to find a copy for you...New Zealand has truly lost its Democracy..
I have the most profound loathing for the Mother of World Socialism, the United Nations, and want to see a simple law put in place reading as follows: "New Zealanders believe that our rights and freedoms are embodied in the supremacy and sovereignty of the nation state. In the service of this objective: 'The Executive shall not agree, Parliament shall not ratify, and the Supreme Court shall not recognize any Treaty granting legislative, executive, or judicial authority to any international entity. All such Treaties formerly made, ratified, or recognised are hereby repudiated unless and until confirmed by a two-thirds majority in a national referendum, and no such Treaty shall be made, ratified, or recognized hereafter except following such a referendum."
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