“An iwi group’s alleged demand for $180 million in order to approve the Bendigo Santana gold mine exposes how New Zealand’s resource management system has been warped by standover tactics and backroom dealing,” says ACT Resources spokesman Simon Court.
Kā Rūnaka say extracting $180 million from Santana has not been their ‘focus’, but they haven’t directly denied the report.
“It’s an outrage, but not one that surprises ACT,” says Mr Court. “Up and down the country, from minor subdivisions to major infrastructure, people are encountering standover tactics and sending me the receipts.
And this week:
Strong concerns have again been raised by iwi regarding a large gold mine in Central Otago proposed by Australian company Santana Minerals.
At a hearing of the Fast-track expert panel in Dunedin on Tuesday, Kā Rūnaka, made up of four rūnaka representing southern Ngāi Tahu hapū, said they opposed the controversial project in its present form.
They oppose it because the submitters refused to give them $180 million in exchange for them not opposing it.
This is why Iwi should have no special status when it comes to resource consents. They should have the same status as any other local group.
I also think any resource consent applicant should have to list all payments they have made to external groups, so we can see if they have been paying objectors off.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition.
13 comments:
Blackmail is a crime in NZ punishable up to 14 years in jail. What are you waiting for, a backbone?
Hear hear
Why list groups though? Can anyone form a group and object and get paid off? That would be awesome
This money grabbing by iwi looks more like legally promoted blackmail, to me.
And yet we keep hearing about how "poor" maori are, what a load of BS.
The pre-colonisation dormant Stone Age Māori tribal gene revealing itself? Money for nothing and chicks for free.
New Zealand's very own, government enabled, mafia.
So, given this appears an illegal "shake down"....is the Govt going to offer any comment? Or, do they again get a free ride on the basis of ethnicity?
Tell me about the gold that pre European Maori extracted and used ?
Were they complicit in ruining the environment when Europeans began gold mining especially on the Wedt Coast ??
Absolutely - it's well documented.
So don't give me in BS about treasured ancient values and pixies protected sacred sites.
More government sanctioned bribery.
For many years we all have been shaken down by Maori anytime we needed to go to Council for permission to do something on our own property.
Have to get the ok from the local iwi after paying whatever tax free koha they demand.
Recall Bob Jones debacle when he wanted to reinstate a window in one of his commercial buildings ?
Council required him to get the ok from something like 10 local Maori groups and pay off thousands of dollars.
Notice how almost everything is sacred or treasure for Māoris these days - until $$$ crosses the table. Then, it’s all ok.
They sure have the woke pakeha and MSM well trained!
They could use all the money they saved cancelling the ferry contracts OH NO THAT’S RIGHT that was pure taxpayer money down the drain.
Please God, the business people hearing this rubbish from iwi, have the backbone to ignore the demands... its BLACKMAIL....
I have no respect at all for the politics of Maori - somewhat less even for those of the pakeha wokesters who fawn on them.
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