Summarised by Centrist
In a candid interview with Sean Plunkett on The Platform, NZ First Minister Shane Jones tackled the complexities of iwi / Crown consultation agreements under the Fast-track legislation.
He explained that while these requirements complicate development, they cannot be ignored without breaching historic Treaty of Waitangi settlements:
“A lot of that sadly lies buried in these individual Treaty settlements.”
“So what do we do? We can annihilate [the agreements] and destroy them and pretend that the last 25 years of the settlements don’t exist. But what was the point of entering into them, by the way, largely carried out by the right wing governments, (if) we weren’t over time going to respect or acknowledge them?” he asked.
Jones also pointed out that green groups were excluded from such consultations by this government, despite the previous one granting them statutory authority.
“Why can’t you keep the iwi out of it, too?” Plunkett questioned.
Jones retorted, “The last time I checked, the Crown hadn’t signed a full and final settlement with Greenpeace!”
Both Jones and Plunkett agree that Māori consultations appear to many (including many Māori) to be little more than a payout, even though Plunkett noted that “I know it is a racist and prejudiced perception.”
However, Jones concurred, citing Meridian Energy’s roughly $100m payout to Ngāi Tahu as an example.
