EQUALITY PARTNERSHIP RECOGNITON – THE CROWN & IWI MAORI ON SOE SALES BILL FOR TRIBUNAL HEARINGS

In New Zealand equality news: The Crown is still struggling to see Maori as their legal and legitimate Treaty partner, in the approach the NZ government is taking with the process of: the suggestion of New Zealand energy assets sales.

A good marriage is when one party wants to talk, the other party will listen. This is what equality and fairness in a legal marriage and fair partnership looks like. If this tone is not set from the outset of any suggested share float, no other third party investors should ever think there’s going to be integrity in the management of these same companies on offer.

All investors want a win-win guilt free share float. That way everyone gets blessed in the harmonious flow of a good marriage.

In Kiwi news: “The Government will not delay the passage of the bill allowing share floats of state-owned enterprises until after the Waitangi Tribunal has held its urgent hearings on the matter.

Ministers are insisting such sales would not affect the rights and interests of iwi and will not set aside any shares for future settlement.

But SOE Minister Tony Ryall says the Government could be prepared at a later stage to “stand in the market” and buy shares for some iwi as part of Treaty of Waitangi settlements.

The Government’s refusal to budge on its timetable means the tribunal will be under pressure to hold its hearings before the law is passed.

Submissions must be in by June, the hearing will be in July and the tribunal plans an interim report in July.

The hearings follow a claim by the Maori Council and 11 others that the sales breach the Treaty and a more general claim that the Crown has denied or violated rights over freshwater and geothermal resources.

Mr Ryall told the Weekend Herald the Mixed Ownership Model Bill would be back from select committee by July 16 and passed soon after that.

It needed to be passed no later than August to enable the first partial float, of Mighty River Power, to be conducted in the third quarter of the year, as set out in the sales timetable.

“We’re not considering delaying progress on the bill,” he said. “We have a timeline we have to stick to.”

Mr Ryall said any decisions from the tribunal would not affect the legislation but could affect government actions after the law was passed.

“We don’t think the sales affect Maori rights and interests and we think that is supported by current case law.”

He cited the Ika Whenua case in the 1990s when the Government planned to transfer dams to several energy companies and the Court of Appeal declined an application to stop that transfer, saying Maori rights would not be diminished by it.

The Government would be putting that position very strongly in the tribunal hearings, Mr Ryall said.

He said the history of the Government had been to address such issues on an iwi-by-iwi basis rather than a pan Maori basis.”

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Um… what’s the rush here? We are in a GFC. The UK for example is officially in recession. They’re not moving anywhere fast. It’s not like we don’t have time to talk about it some more – here in New Zealand. The world’s population is increasing, not diminishing – therefore energy will always be in demand. Food needs are increasing too in the world, so energy powered hot houses could garner good growth for New Zealand’s economy in areas with land but colder climes to produce more, for the days ahead. Maori should be in on all levels of such expansion plans ahead, fairly and justly with the resources they signed in good faith to develop with The Crown as equal Treaty partners and… equals. It’s all about unlocking Iwi potential fairly to grow the New Zealand economy in ways Iwi may not have been invited to, before due to conceited oversights.

There’s so much scope here, to get this right.

At the moment, the tone of the news story (in the “quote marks”) reads as if others hidden in the bedroom are being preferenced by The Crown before Maori. It looks sneaky. If Maori took the same stance, we’d sell The Beehive first (also a state asset) without much prior notice, and erect an oil rig on the front lawn as a museum monument of long-standing pig-headed arrogance, gross conceit, racism, sneaky snatch and grab manouevers for elitists and the illegality of greed - if this approach keeps up.

So, that needs a complete rethink on this assets sales process so far.

Shocking! And why is The Waitangi Tribunal always so behind the eight-ball on timetabling? Is The Crown not giving earlier and more transparent notice in the course of timelines and process? If so, that’s totally sketchy too and needs to change.

[Reporting by Audrey Young].

[Note - At the time of writing, Maori men live ten years less than white New Zealanders. Maori are currently locked within a partial poverty divide (doubly compounded by a GFC-fueled bubble). Many Maori are paid 20-30% less for doing the exact same jobs as non-Maori... so the The Crown needs to cut the crap here - on this issue and recognise Maori's legal equality status more. (more…)

May 12, 2012 | Categories: Agricultural Distribution - Product Networks, Agriculture, Equality, Greed, horticulture, Inequality, iwi, Iwi Biz Partners, Love, Maori, New Zealand, New Zealand Energy Assets Sales, New Zealand land sales | Leave A Comment »