National flirting with disaster on the Foreshore and Seabed

“National’s desire to remove Crown ownership from the foreshore and seabed is flirting with disaster” Dr Hugh Barr, spokesman for the Coastal Coalition says.

“Repeal of the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act, or its replacement by ‘public domain’, or as iwi propose, joint Crown-iwi ownership, will inevitably lead rapidly to a race-based privatisation of the foreshore and seabed to coastal iwi. That is what iwi are planning on. But the National Government seems blind to the extreme risks to the rest of the community” Dr Barr said.

“National is proposing a very strong bundle of property rights for Maori customary title to the foreshore and seabed, including exclusive mining, aquaculture and facility development rights. These rights can even include areas where public access and use are prohibited” Dr Barr said.

“Removal of Crown ownership, or merely defining “customary title” will inevitably compromise the Crown’s sovereign rights on behalf of all New Zealanders, and its ability to manage the foreshore and seabed fairly for the whole community and business.

“It would also grossly interfere with business and community investments of many billions of dollars in or near the foreshore and seabed, such as aquaculture, ports, and recreational facilities including wharves, marinas etc”

Private property rights in New Zealand are very strong. “Any customary title would rapidly adopt these rights. This would give coastal iwi major control of present and future developments, at great cost to developers such as aquaculture, port developers, marinas, whitebaiters wharves etc that are already on the foreshore or seabed” Dr Barr said.

New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed, the area from mean high tide to 22 km offshore from the nearest land, is vast. It covers over 10 million hectares, or nearly 40% of our dry land area. It includes all harbours and tidal inlets , the most productive areas for aquaculture and fisheries, as well as coastal waters including the Hauraki Gulf, Marlborough Sounds, fiords and Patterson Inlet – see maps at www.CoastalCoalition.co.nz

Crown ownership of the foreshore and seabed has existed since 1840. It has not stopped Maori fisheries or aquaculture deals. And the 2004 Act allows recognition of coastal areas important to iwi.

Whatever National is negotiating with iwi and the race-based Maori party about this public resource is being done in secret” Dr Barr said. “This is no way to dispose of one of the most valuable public resources New Zealand has.”

ENDS

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