Post by Kiwi Frontline on Apr 2, 2016 8:31:40 GMT 12
WHAT DOES THE GOVERNMENT REALLY INTEND WITH RESPECT TO FRESH WATER?
But of course the crucial issue is not so much who owns water but who gets to control its use. And what the Minister said didn’t entirely reconcile with what is stated in the consultation document which had been issued outlining Government’s intentions with respect to fresh water.
His basic premise seemed to be that Maori interests in fresh water would not be protected if those were dependent on the wishes of the majority, though why Maori would have interests in fresh water which differ qualitatively from those of other New Zealanders is entirely unclear. Certainly, the attempt of the Waitangi Tribunal to explain why Maori interests in fresh water differ from those of the rest of us was comprehensively demolished by David Round in this journal a few weeks ago. All New Zealanders have a stake in ensuring the quality of our fresh water is maintained and, where necessary, improved.
And why a small minority of New Zealanders – almost certainly much smaller than the 16% of New Zealanders to whom the Minister referred – should have a priority right to be consulted is entirely unclear. (Yes, perhaps 16% of New Zealanders have a Maori ancestor, but it seems extraordinarily unlikely on the basis of the people I have met that all such New Zealanders are demanding a right to be consulted which is superior to that enjoyed by other New Zealanders.) Why would any person, whatever their ancestry, have a superior right to be consulted ahead of other New Zealanders?
But more ominously, the Minister’s assurance that the Government’s proposals won’t give iwi any decision-making role seems quite inconsistent with what the consultation document proposes.
In the very first paragraph of the chapter entitled “Iwi rights and interests in fresh water”, it states that the Government wants to ensure “iwi and hapu are able to participate in decision-making about fresh water in their rohe”. That doesn’t sound to me like leaving all decision-making to elected councils…..
Read Dr Don Brash's NZCPR guest commentary here > www.nzcpr.com/what-does-the-government-really-intend-with-respect-to-fresh-water/#more-18028
But of course the crucial issue is not so much who owns water but who gets to control its use. And what the Minister said didn’t entirely reconcile with what is stated in the consultation document which had been issued outlining Government’s intentions with respect to fresh water.
His basic premise seemed to be that Maori interests in fresh water would not be protected if those were dependent on the wishes of the majority, though why Maori would have interests in fresh water which differ qualitatively from those of other New Zealanders is entirely unclear. Certainly, the attempt of the Waitangi Tribunal to explain why Maori interests in fresh water differ from those of the rest of us was comprehensively demolished by David Round in this journal a few weeks ago. All New Zealanders have a stake in ensuring the quality of our fresh water is maintained and, where necessary, improved.
And why a small minority of New Zealanders – almost certainly much smaller than the 16% of New Zealanders to whom the Minister referred – should have a priority right to be consulted is entirely unclear. (Yes, perhaps 16% of New Zealanders have a Maori ancestor, but it seems extraordinarily unlikely on the basis of the people I have met that all such New Zealanders are demanding a right to be consulted which is superior to that enjoyed by other New Zealanders.) Why would any person, whatever their ancestry, have a superior right to be consulted ahead of other New Zealanders?
But more ominously, the Minister’s assurance that the Government’s proposals won’t give iwi any decision-making role seems quite inconsistent with what the consultation document proposes.
In the very first paragraph of the chapter entitled “Iwi rights and interests in fresh water”, it states that the Government wants to ensure “iwi and hapu are able to participate in decision-making about fresh water in their rohe”. That doesn’t sound to me like leaving all decision-making to elected councils…..
Read Dr Don Brash's NZCPR guest commentary here > www.nzcpr.com/what-does-the-government-really-intend-with-respect-to-fresh-water/#more-18028