Will Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s talks on the Ihumatao protest at Mangere, Auckland, lead to the Government buying a 32ha special housing area from Fletchers and, if so, what would this mean for housing, property rights, treaty settlements, and future protests?
Already there has been a suggestion of a copycat protest in Wellington (see below), which is evidence of one likely consequence of a cave-in to protests, that the floodgates would open for similar protests.
It is clear that protest leader Pania Newton is talking about another settlement of an historical grievance on top of the full and final $6.5-million-plus settlement that her iwi, Te Kawerau a Maki, received in 2015.
A current “day of action” advert on her Save Our Unique Landscape Facebook page says “Fletcher should never have purchased this land at Ihumatao. They knew it was stolen. And now we want to make sure that they don't stand in the way of a settlement”.
A confiscation settlement on top of the full and final settlement would open the way for every other Treaty settlement to be revisited, heralding decades of further turmoil over historical grievances and billions in financial redress.
Besides that, should the Government buy the land, Fletchers would most likely set the price and seek compensation for work already done on the project.
Te Kawerau a Maki, the Ihumatao iwi that had done a deal with Fletchers involving a gift of land plus 40 houses, would also seek compensation for losses incurred by the project not going ahead.
Moreover, if the Government imposes another scenario over the top of current arrangements at Ihumatao, every property contract everywhere would in reality become subject to the appearance of a Maori land occupation and intervention by the Government.
And Auckland would not have 480 additional dwellings at a time when the city is crying out for housing.
Our view is that both the Crown and the iwi should honour the agreement they have reached and the police should uphold the property rights of the land owner, Fletchers, and enforce the eviction notices to move protesters from private land.
We launched a petition five days ago which asks the police to uphold the rights of the landowner by evicting the protesters.
It also asks the Government to regard the treaty settlement as full and final to allow both Te Kawerau a Maki and Fletchers to proceed with their lawful business.
We have picked up 1653 signatures. We still need your support. Please sign the petition at http://chng.it/xPN6P55k
The Fletcher plan shows a 32ha housing area separated from the Otuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve by an area (shown in stripes) to be given to Te Kawerau a Maki, with existing housing to the north and a proposed commercial development to the east.
Shelly Bay hikoi and occupation threatened
A group opposing Maori land sales at Shelly Bay, Wellington, have confirmed they are willing to occupy land there and are considering a hikoi from Taranaki.
The confirmation, sparked by the Ihumatao occupation, is yet another blow for the $500 million Wellington development on the western side of the Miramar peninsula, which has a High Court case pending and caveats over much of the land.
In July, Mau Whenua filed papers in the High Court hoping to overturn a previous sale of three parcels of Taranaki Whanui land at Shelly Bay, arguing that Treaty settlement recipients, the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust, sold it without iwi members' consent. The trust owned the land on behalf of iwi Taranaki Whanui.
More signatures needed for Cook ship petition
It took just two weeks for our petition welcoming the visit of the replica of Captain Cook’s ship Endeavour in October to exceed the futile petition wanting the visit to be stopped.
Our petition is sitting on a total 3490, although we still need your support to protect the heritage of our nation.
Please sign our counter petition to welcome the Endeavour replica to New Zealand by going to http://chng.it/jKMjXXMwGd.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Hobson's Pledge? Hobson’s Pledge supporters think it is absurd to argue in the 21st century that people who chance to have a Maori ancestor, always with other ancestors too of course, should have superior rights to those who don’t. And utterly absurd that there are politicians who want to be taken seriously who still push this nonsense.
- What are the issues we're facing today?
- Who are the people behind Hobson's Pledge Trust?
- What are our campaigns?
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