Prime Minister John Key has confirmed that having no one own the foreshore and seabed is one of the options the Government is considering in talks with Maori.The New Zealand Herald reported today that it was one of the options put to the Iwi Leaders Forum
Prime Minister John Key has confirmed that having no one own the foreshore and seabed is one of the options the Government is considering in talks with Maori.
The New Zealand Herald reported today that it was one of the options put to the Iwi Leaders Forum at Waitangi last weekend.
Mr Key confirmed that this was one option on the table.
"It is a concept where you don't get into the emotional debate of ownership. Now it sounds a bit foreign when you think about it, but no one owns the air, no one owns the sea and we live happily in that sort of environment," Mr Key told Radio New Zealand.
He also repeated comments that co-management of the foreshore and seabed between Maori and the Crown was possible, but if no satisfactory solution could be found the current law would remain in place.
National has agreed in principle with the Maori Party to repeal the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act that vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed with the Crown and stopped Maori from testing in court whether it had some form of title to coastal areas.
The Government has stressed that retaining public access to coastal areas is non-negotiable.
The Act sparked the creation of the Maori Party and it has been working with the National Party to repeal the law.
It is also understood that the Government is talking to Maori about various other options for management of the foreshore and seabed and whether Maori should be given be the right to take their claims to court.
The Government has kept its talks with Maori groups largely behind closed doors, but says at some point it intends consulting with the wider public.
