Matua Kahurangi: The pounamu laws reveal a racist system hiding in plain sight

I was casually browsing the Otago Daily Times when a headline stopped me in my tracks. A 26-year-old Dunedin man had allegedly been found with 820 kilograms of stolen pounamu [Greenstone]. Nearly a tonne. Whākn’ wild. However, the more I read, the more something else stood out. It was not the alleged theft itself, it was the rules surrounding pounamu that revealed just how racially stacked the whole system really is.

According to the article, pounamu is the legal property of Ngāi Tahu under the Pounamu Vesting Act 1997. Then comes the part that should make any New Zealander raise an eyebrow.

John McLean: Yet Another Perfectly Innocent Mistake......(Not)

NZ's Department of Conservation pleads guilty to a lesser crime

On 5 June 2025, the Department of Conservation (DoC) declined a mining company’s application for a resource consent to expand an existing gold mining operation - by a moderate 6 hectares.

The company is OceanaGold. The mine is Macraes mine near Dunedin. Macraes, which opened in 1990, is New Zealand’s largest gold mine.

Peter Williams: Iwi with their hands out before Otago development

No dooey until there’s more hui

The Fast Track Approvals Act is supposed to be a panacea for development. But as Port Otago and a leading logistics company are finding out it is far from smooth sailing because of one issue – the requirement in the Act to consult with iwi, and then to probably to pay them for the privilege.

The story goes like this.

Michael Laws: Why Did The Otago Regional Council Pay $5.3M To Iwi?

On The Platform Michael discusses why did the Otago Regional Council pay $5.3M to Iwi and what he had to do to find out - a must watch

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