David Farrar: Yes the foreshore and seabed were in public ownership

A number of people have claimed that the Hobson’s Pledge advertisement should have been rejected because it calls for the foreshore and seabed to be restored to public ownership. They say it it misleading as they argue it has never been in public ownership.

I don’t see how you can dispute that it used to be in public ownership, because this was set out in statute under the Foreshore and Seabed Act that was passed by the Helen Clark Government in 2004. I quote from it: