FSA 2004 repeal bill - submission

The Maori Affairs select committee (chaired by Tau Henare) met in Auckland on the 3rd December. I was in a group on Friday afternoon that went on after several guys who looked like Brethren had finished. Much like the two old Pakeha gentlemen to my left they were trying to say that Maori should only be allowed a very small amount of property rights in the foreshore and seabed - based upon a Pakeha determination of what they should get - while the Pakeha get to privatise the coast for themselves by way of reclamation and marinas and aquaculture etc. Their submissions were pretty crude and really nothing more than an unsubstantiated and racist set of presumptions. I sensed they were made more out of a fear that the White Man's position as the superior being was being challenged, rather than fear of what possible changes might happen in the marine area.

The one next to me has a wry smirk when I start talking about the exclusivity test and that making a sandcastle will still be enough under this new law to argue in court that Maori rights have been extinguished. Yes - it is as bad as that.

It was so handy having posted the submission on the blog - it was accessible on the mobile so I didn't need to faff around with notes on paper.

The committee will report back on 25 February 2011.