National dictatorial on Foreshore and Seabed

“The National Government is becoming increasingly dictatorial when dealing with the electorate” Coastal Coalition spokesman Dr Hugh Barr says. “First it was abolition of Environment Canterbury democratically elected councillors. Now it is ignoring public concerns on the foreshore and seabed.

“Ministers John Key and Chris Finlayson are wrong to see it solely as something between them, the Maori Party and large iwi. There is enormous self-interest and conflict of interest in these three groups making decisions jointly.”

“No-one else counts apparently in deciding whether National should give away to iwi up to ten million hectares of mainly seabed, previously in Crown ie public ownership. National’s fraudulent consultation process lasted a ridiculously short twenty working days over Easter. Now John Key and the Maori Party have finalised their decision without taking any account of the public submissions. These have still not been summarised or publicly released.”

“Their behaviour is contemptuous of the public interest” Dr Barr said. “Perhaps public comments were so negative that Ministers have purposely kept them secret. Five thousand New Zealanders who petitioned to extend the consultation time were ignored.”

“ National also deviously called the seabed “public domain”, when their intention is to privatise it to iwi with very strong private property rights.”

“Ownership of the seabed is too important to be left to self-interested politicians and chiefs. It is far better for the rest of the community that the seabed remain in public ownership” Dr Barr said.

ENDS

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