This debate is often mischaracterised as being about “ownership.” It is not. The real issue is control: who decides how water is allocated, who may use it, under what conditions, and with what power of veto. Those decisions determine outcomes in practice, even though water itself is not subject to legal ownership.
https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2026/01/geoff-parker-why-control-of-new.html
There are 70 major rivers in NZ, and then there are thousands of streams that are estimated to run to over 425,000 kilometres. We also have more than 4,000 lakes that are one hectare or more in size. Then add in the immeasurable outstanding aquifers.
We certainly have a lot of water in NZ but do maori own the water? Does anyone actually own our water?
John Tamihere has long made clear his belief that maori own all of the above water resource.
Back in 2020 Tamihere stated “Māori own the water because this country was settled by consent, not conquest, under the Treaty of Waitangi. Article 1 gave the Crown custodianship, not ownership.”
He added, “Article 2, for the avoidance of all doubt, retained, for Māori, absolute control of our waters, our land, and all domains.”
Tamihere further claimed, “The New Zealand government has allowed foreigners to pillage our water and monetarise the waters. What we see is a new-age gold rush where hundreds and hundreds of people are now staking a claim over water allocation rights and buying existing allocation rights.”
There is no doubt Maori are at the forefront of staking a claim for water ownership simply because of the revenue ownership could generate!
Why else would Tamihere claim – “To what extent do you have a conversation with the generators on the Waikato to say, ‘times up, there’s got to be a levy here’?”
Pee Kay writes he is from a generation where common sense, standards, integrity and honesty are fundamental attributes. This article was first published HERE
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There are 70 major rivers in NZ, and then there are thousands of streams that are estimated to run to over 425,000 kilometres. We also have more than 4,000 lakes that are one hectare or more in size. Then add in the immeasurable outstanding aquifers.
We certainly have a lot of water in NZ but do maori own the water? Does anyone actually own our water?
John Tamihere has long made clear his belief that maori own all of the above water resource.
Back in 2020 Tamihere stated “Māori own the water because this country was settled by consent, not conquest, under the Treaty of Waitangi. Article 1 gave the Crown custodianship, not ownership.”
He added, “Article 2, for the avoidance of all doubt, retained, for Māori, absolute control of our waters, our land, and all domains.”
Tamihere further claimed, “The New Zealand government has allowed foreigners to pillage our water and monetarise the waters. What we see is a new-age gold rush where hundreds and hundreds of people are now staking a claim over water allocation rights and buying existing allocation rights.”
There is no doubt Maori are at the forefront of staking a claim for water ownership simply because of the revenue ownership could generate!
Why else would Tamihere claim – “To what extent do you have a conversation with the generators on the Waikato to say, ‘times up, there’s got to be a levy here’?”
Pee Kay writes he is from a generation where common sense, standards, integrity and honesty are fundamental attributes. This article was first published HERE
2 comments:
Good old Mr Tamahere. Racist and grifter.
And our PM and the wokesters in our Govt would no doubt do their best to accommodate Mr Tamahere and his grifting ilk all in the name of "inclusiveness"
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