NZCPR Newsletter: Questions Over Our Future

The outpouring of emotion over the death of Queen Elizabeth II came as a surprise to many. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets in Scotland and England in tribute, as they witnessed the magnificent pageantry of the meticulously planned transfer of Queen Elizabeth from her Balmoral sanctuary to her final resting place in Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel, next to her beloved husband, Prince Philip.

Over a quarter of a million people queued for up to 30 hours to pay their respects to the Queen as she lay in State in Westminster Hall. More than four billion watched her funeral, televised live around the world.

NZCPR Weekly: Important Developments

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

In this week’s NZCPR-Weekly newsletter, we look into some important new developments – the announcement of a new election date, the start of the first High Court case for claims under the Marine and Coastal Area Act, and the High Court decision on the legitimacy of the Alert Level 4 lockdown, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Karl du Fresne explains why the Government’s border management is a fiasco, and our poll asks whether you agree with Minister Chris Hipkins that his Government is “the one source of truth”.

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NZCPR Weekly: The Lockdown Week 3

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week as we come to the end of the third week of the 28-day COVID-19 lockdown we question whether the Government’s radical attempt to ‘eliminate’ the virus is the right approach – and we also report on new developments relating to Marine and Coastal Area Act claims, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Anthony Willy shares his concerns over the ease with which our freedoms and democracy have been taken away, and our poll asks whether you believe the Government’s attempt to ‘eliminate’ COVID-19 is the right approach.

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NZCPR Weekly: Judicial Activism

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week we look into the disastrous impact the former Chief Justice’s judicial activism has had on the country as the first of 200 tribal claims to the coast reach High Court hearings this year; our NZCPR Guest Commentator British journalist Melanie Phillips outlines the positive change that is occurring in the UK now that they have a conservative Judge as their Chief Justice, and our poll asks whether you support introducing Maori tikanga into the law.

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NZCPR Weekly: Privatising New Zealand’s Coastline – Beach by Beach

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week we report on the progress of claims under the Marine and Coastal Area Act and renew our call for the law to be repealed, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Frank Newman – an interested party in the High Court claims – shares his observations of the process, and our poll asks whether you agree that the Marine and Coastal Area Act should be repealed.
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NZCPR Weekly: Return the Coast to Public Ownership

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week we outline how New Zealanders have been misled over the Marine and Coastal Area Act claims process and why public ownership of the coast must be restored, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Professor Barend Vlaardingerbroek explains why tribalism undermines democracy, and our poll asks whether New Zealand’s coast should be returned to public ownership.

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NZCPR Weekly: Court Hearings for Tribal Claims Edge Closer

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week we outline new developments from the High Court regarding the coastal claims process, and we call for an inquiry into the evidence behind Ngati Porou’s claim to the coast, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Hugh Barr shares details of some of the submissions on the Ngati Porou Bill and raises concerns about the wider claims process, and our poll asks whether you would support an official inquiry into the legitimacy of the evidence on which Ngati Porou’s claim for the coast is based.

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NZCPR Weekly: Coastal Claim Developments

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week we look into some developments regarding marine and coastal area claims – including a new claims Bill that is in front of Parliament, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Dr Hugh Barr questions the legitimacy of claims for customary rights, and our poll asks whether you believe the High Court should be the only avenue for tribal groups to pursue marine and coastal area claims.

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NZCPR Weekly: Last Chance to Oppose Coastal Claims

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week we examine serious flaws in the Marine and Coastal Area Act and remind everyone that next Monday Feb 26 is the closing date for lodging Notices of Appearance to oppose claims to the coast, our NZCPR Guest Commentator, Dr Hugh Barr, outlines some major concerns regarding the impact of claims on recreation users of the coast, and our poll asks, whether taxpayer funding to tribal groups claiming the coast should be withdrawn.

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NZCPR Weekly: Tribal Control of the Coast

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week we examine the concern that access to our beaches could be blocked if tribal groups gain control of the coast, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Frank Newman warns about the increasing use of rahui and the threat it poses to public access to the coast, and our poll asks whether you believe the coastal claims process as it stands is a barrier to those who wish to object to the claims that have been lodged.

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NZCPR Weekly: Defend Your Beach

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

In this week’s newsletter we provide an important update on the coastal claims process and urge concerned Kiwis to take a stand – before it’s too late, our NZCPR Guest Commentators Dr Hugh Barr and John McLean outline why the new Minister, Andrew Little, needs to review the former Minister’s decision to award a Customary Marine Title, and in this week’s poll we ask whether you believe there needs to be a public information campaign to inform people how to become engaged in the marine and coastal area claims process.

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Frank Newman: Rāhui to you too

Rāhui. It's becoming an important word. It's also been in the news a lot lately. To place a rāhui on something is to restrict or prohibit access, normally temporary to allow replenishment.

This is quite different from a Wahi Tapu, which is a reserve empowered by the Historic Places Act 1993 and is defined as a place sacred to Maori in the traditional, spiritual, religious, ritual or mythological sense. These tend to be site specific but may be an area.

NZCPR Weekly: Tribal Control of New Zealand's Coast

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

In this week’s newsletter we look into developments in the Marine and Coastal Area Act claims process that raise concerns that without intervention by the new Government, the coast may fall into tribal hands; our NZCPR Guest Commentator Hugh Barr calls on the new Government to clean up the foreshore and seabed shambles, and in this week’s poll we ask whether tribal claimants should be granted customary rights to areas that are regularly used by the public.

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Hugh Barr: Tribal groups threatening the public’s foreshore and seabed

National’s Marine and Coastal Area Act (2011) controversially gave Maori tribal groups the ability to privatise New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed out to 22.2 Km (12 nautical miles) from shore, if they could prove that they had exclusively used  and occupied an area of the coast and territorial sea from 1840 to the present day.

Until the 2011 Act, New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed had been in public ownership since 1840, when the colony adopted British law, under which the territorial sea is declared a public common, to which the public generally has access.

NZCPR Weekly: Next Steps in Coastal Claims

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week, we outline new developments in the marine and coastal area claims process – and launch a Register of Interest for everyone who would like to help oppose claims in their local area, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Dr Hugh Barr explains why the claims process is such a threat to users of the coast, and this week’s poll asks whether you agree with Maori tribal groups that they should be considered as ‘guardians’ of the environment. 

You can see the Countering Coastal Claims Campaign page here: www.nzcpr.com/countering-coastal-claims-campaign

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NZCPR Weekly: The 2017 Budget

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week, we examine the Budget - and in particular the appropriation that provides millions of dollars of taxpayer funding for groups claiming ownership of New Zealand’s coastline, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Frank Newman provides his analysis of the Budget, and this week’s poll asks whether you believe $8.45 million should be available to groups claiming our coast. 

We have been looking into Marine and Coastal Area claims and found that the only one to be resolved in the High Court had no groups opposing it – only the Attorney General. The Judge found in favour of the applicants. As a result, we have been working hard to ensure that all of the 100-plus High Court claims that have been advertised in newspapers will be opposed by fishing and recreation groups. However, while claimants have access to millions of dollars of financial assistance, those objecting to the claims have to pay $110 for each one they oppose. Accordingly, we are now launching a fundraiser to help these fishing and recreation groups cover the tens of thousands of dollars in Court application fees and other costs that they are incurring on behalf of the New Zealand public. If you oppose these Marine and Coastal Area claims, please help those who will be standing up for you in the Court, by clicking HERE. Please be generous, because the task these groups have taken on - in the public interest - is certainly not an easy one!

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NZCPR Weekly: Claims Tsunami Hits Foreshore and Seabed

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week we examine the foreshore and seabed claims debacle and outline how some tribal groups are planning on ‘taking’ dolphins, whales, penguins and seals, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Dr Hugh Barr explains the claims process and raises concerns about the public being denied access to the coast, and this week’s poll asks whether you think the foreshore and seabed should be returned to Crown ownership. And, if you oppose tribal claims to the coast, please consider signing our on-line petition in support of Crown ownership of the foreshore and seabed - HERE.

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