Williamson denies treaty claim deal

By Richard Braddell

WELLINGTON - Communications Minister Maurice Williamson has rejected a suggested link between the announcement of a one-off $15 million funding boost for Maori language and culture development as a trade-off for the government rejecting a Treaty of Waitangi claim to clear the way for a mobile radio spectrum.

Maori sources have suggested that Maori Affairs Minister Tau Henare's Tuesday night announcement is the first in a three-step process that would be followed by government rejection of their Waitangi claim and then reactivation of the stalled 2GHz radio spectrum auction.

Mr Williamson said yesterday that he supported in principle an early start to the spectrum auction because of its importance in the development of telecommunications in New Zealand, but said there was no connection at all between the $15 million funding and spectrum.

In the political arena, the funding has been branded as "money for votes" by Labour's State Owned Enterprises spokesman, Paul Swain, and as a breach of constitutional principle by Act leader Richard Prebble because parliament will be unable to scrutinise the policy behind the $15 million funding before the election.

Accusing the Government of buying Mr Henare's silence for 15 pieces of silver, Mr Swain said Labour supported the spectrum sale, but was concerned that scant attention was being paid to anti- competitive issues, such as a dominant player buying all the spectrum.

But Mr Williamson said there was plenty of spectrum to go round, with the initial offering capable of supporting three high bandwidth cellular networks, with further spectrum to come available in two or three years.

The auction was postponed in March to give time for a hearing before the Waitangi Tribunal which subsequently held that Maori have ownership rights to the spectrum.

But Mr Williamson said that language funding and spectrum rights were totally different issues and that the government had always intended to address the language claim following a unanimous recommendation from the Waitangi Tribunal.

It had been considered at cabinet on Monday after presentation of an officials' paper, but the spectrum issue would only go to cabinet next Monday, he said.