RELEASE ON BEHALF OF NEW ZEALAND MAORI COUNCIL

Members of the New Zealand Maori Council, representatives of the Maori King, and various Hapu and Iwi have held multiple meetings and conference calls today. The view from all has been that the Government has left Maori no choice but to seek review of the Government's decisions from the courts. Not everyone has yet had a chance to voice their views and it is intended that further attempts will be made to canvass them over the next few days to maximise unanimity. It also remains for the New Zealand Maori Council to determine the source of funding to bring this matter before the courts.

The in principle decision that was expected today is therefore emphatically yes to the question of whether a legal challenge should be brought. The New Zealand Maori Council still hopes to turn this into a final decision before the end of the week.

ENDS

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