The Government’s so-called overhaul of the Public Works Act will fail to prevent further injustices around the confiscation of Māori land.
"Now is the time for this Government to be brave and ensure not one more acre of Māori land is stolen by the Crown,” says Green Party Māori Development spokesperson Hūhana Lyndon.
“The Government is failing to address what remains a source of great injustice for Māori - that’s why I’m calling on all political parties to support my bill to protect Maori land from confiscation under the Public Works Act.
“Māori have already lost a significant amount of land and that includes for public purposes. But the plans for the overhaul of the Act give Māori no ability to say no to the state taking their land for public works.
“Adding the Minister of Māori Development into the hierarchy controlling approvals for compulsory acquisition of whenua gives no comfort to Māori. We’ve already seen with Fast-Track, having multiple ministers signing off on things is hardly a protection for whenua or te taiao.
“What’s more, the inadequate compensation package announced by the Minister is a bitter pill for Māori who have already lost so much.
“The Government’s neglect of Māori concerns is an insult to injury compounded by the Prime Minister’s absence at Waitangi this week.
“Don’t think for one second that the confiscation of land is just a memory of the Land Wars and their legacy - it’s something still confronting us in the present.
“The Waitangi Tribunal found that the Crown must actively protect Māori interests, and this is what my Bill seeks to do, by protecting the small amount of Māori land left from compulsory acquisition - thus giving primacy to Article Two of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
“The Green Party’s Hoki Whenua Mai commitment would prevent whenua Māori being taken in future, and provide a clearer path for the return of land previously taken.
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