New Zealand SAY NO! Speak Now or Forever Lose your Beach!
Dr Muriel Newman is a former Member of Parliament with a background in business and education, who established the New Zealand Centre for Political Research – a public policy think tank at http://www.nzcpr.com – in 2005. The NZCPR promotes the benefits of freedom, liberty and limited government through research, publication and often public debate. Each week the NZCPR produces a free newsletter investigating topical public issues using commentary from invited national and international experts, and encouraging feedback from the public.
The Coastal Coalition is an umbrella group that has been formed to unite individuals, groups, businesses, and organisations who believe that the Foreshore and Seabed should stay in Crown ownership. The Coastal Coalition is planning a campaign to oppose the government’s plans to repeal Crown ownership of the foreshore and seabed. If you would like to support our efforts, visit our website at www.CoastalCoalition.co.nz, and if you don’t have a computer and would like to donate to our cause, please contact us at PO Box 984, Whangarei. I do hope you will help – we have no time to lose.
What is Happening?
If the National Party and the Maori Party get their way, the public’s ownership rights to New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed will be gone by Christmas. Under their race-based privatisation plan, the way will be cleared for Maori to claim ownership of New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed. The foreshore and seabed covers 10 million hectares including the coastline and the Territorial sea out to the 12 nautical mile limit, all harbours and tidal estuaries, the airspace above and most of the mineral wealth below. The iron sands alone have been valued by Crown Minerals at over $1 trillion.
New Zealand SAY NO!
What Can We Expect?
If Maori become owners of the foreshore and seabed, they will have the right of veto over all coastal activities (with no rights of appeal), the right to set up aquaculture operations, to undertake developments in the area, to own and mine much of the mineral wealth, to control the Territorial sea out to the 12 mile nautical limit, and to effectively control New Zealand’s biggest public asset - including boat ramps, marinas, slipways, roads, and eventually ports and all other businesses activities that depend on licences. Furthermore individual tribes may lease their rights on to overseas interests as they have already done with fishing quotas to the Japanese and Russians.
New Zealand SAY NO!
What about the Treaty?
The foreshore and seabed is the common heritage and birth-rightof all New Zealanders(Part of the Treaty). It has always been held by the Crown on behalf of us all(Maori included). Now Maori are claiming it for themselves. But if Maori had really believed they owned the foreshore and seabed, almost every Treaty of Waitangi claim since 1985 (when the process was opened up to historical claims dating back to 1840) would have included such claims. None did.
New Zealand SAY NO!
Why Change the Rules?
National is planning this race-based privatisation of our priceless public asset, not because the present law is not working, but because John Key wants to build a long-term political relationship with the Maori Party. Politically it’s a good move – he takes the Maori seats away from a potential Labour coalition, and he has an alternative to ACT. But political wheeling and dealing has a price and this price is too high.
New Zealand SAY NO!
Does the Government Have a Mandate from the People?
No, it does not. John Key has no mandate to trade away the foreshore and seabed to Maori radicals. If National had campaigned at the 2008 election on giving the foreshore and seabed to Maori, they would not have won. And with only 2.3 percent of the Party vote, the Maori Party does not have the mandate of wider Maori either.
New Zealand SAY NO!
What Can We Do?
The only way to stop National repealing Crown ownership of the foreshore and seabed is through public opposition. If enough people rise up to object strongly to National’s plan to trade away the jewel in New Zealand’s Crown to Maori, for votes, they may reconsider. BUT PUBLIC OPPOSITION WILL NEED TO BE STRONG – VERY STRONG. STARTING NOW.
New Zealand SAY NO!
CALL TO ACTION! NEW ZEALAND SEABED AND FORESHORE IS IN CRISIS – ACT NOW - IT’S NOW OR NEVER
NZ SAY NO!