Wind Up Spendthrift Cfrt Says Peters
Wind Up Spendthrift Cfrt Says Peters
New Zealand First
has called on the Government to place the affairs of the
Crown Forestry Rental Trust in the hands of a competent
statutory body.
Rt Hon Winston Peters said today that the
scathing report today from a Parliamentary select committee
describing the CFRT’s performance as "wholly unsatisfactory"
was the “under statement “ of the year.
The trust uses
funds generated by Crown-owned forestry lands to assist
Maori seeking Treaty of Waitangi claims.
The report by
the Maori Affairs committee expresses concern about
inconsistent and inadequate funding processes, lack of
transparency and accountability, and high levels of
expenditure.
“The trust is actually a gravy train for
the Treaty industry and a blight on the face of Maoridom (as
I said in the 2002 election campaign),” said Mr.
Peters.
“In the past four years the Trust has received over $82m while claimants received only $25m. Over $40m has disappeared down the Trust’s self perpetuating grievance industry to maintain itself ad infinitum.
“New
Zealanders want Treaty claims settled and an end to the CFRT
monster that has become an automatic money machine for the
free-loading favoured few at the expense of ordinary Maori
who want to get on with their lives,” Mr. Peters
said.