Stuffed Possum

What is the government planning for our Foreshore & Seabed? I have just found out that there is a public consultation about the new proposal - with a consultation period of three weeks, over the Easter Holiday period! One of those weeks has already ticked away.

There is a good summary of the background here at the NZCPR site which also has a commentary by David Round.

Essentially the history goes something like this:

1963 - 90 mile beach ruling - settled law to clarify that the Crown owns seabed and foreshore.

2003 - Court of Appeal judges overule that judgement. Privy Council would have been used by Helen Clark to appeal decision but Labour had tinkered with the fabric of that and so it was not an option

2004 - Foreshore and Seabed Act comes in to restore the status quo.

2004 - This Act lead to the Hikoi and the formation of the Maori party

2008 - National buy support from Maori party by promising to repeal the 2004 Act...

2010 - and replace it with what?

I personally now need to wade through the documents and see what they propose. I suggest you do too. It is important to make a submission to foreshoreseabedreview@justice.govt.nz as soon as possible.

NZCPR suggest, if nothing else, requesting an extension to give the population the chance to consider this vital change properly. The introduction is woolly and  worrying... "A significant number of New Zealanders do not support the 2004 Act." What does that mean? 25 Maori Activists? Half of Kaitaia Pak'n'Save shoppers last Thursday morning? And when did this government start listening to the people - recall the farcical anti-smacking referendum.

We all need to take an interest in this matter urgently. Hasty laws are nearly always bad laws.