Green Party doubles down on perpetual leases

The Green Party’s promise to abolish perpetual leases under a new policy has been welcomed by the beneficial owner of locked-up East Coast land.

Last week the party announced it would abolish the archaic legislation under its Hoki Whenua Mai policy, which outlines a plan to return land to tangata whenua.

The leases have been a thorn in the side of Māori landowners across the country for more than 100 years.

Under current rules, rent is fixed at 5 percent of the unimproved value of rural land (4 percent for urban land) for 21 years at a time, renewable in perpetuity.

In the case of a series of landblocks at Tokomaru Bay, the 390 beneficial owners can only reclaim the land if a leasee chooses to part ways with it, in which case they are given the first right of refusal.

But even then they must stump up the asking price, which includes whatever chattels have been placed on that land.

Wellington-based Tina Olsen-Ratana is one such beneficial owner, and was present at a hīkoi protesting the leases at Queen’s Birthday weekend last year.

She was pleased a political party had front-footed the issue.

“Hopefully some other parties will pay attention. This is an issue that doesn’t go away,” she said.

“It’s complex. It will require some digging down and into, to look at resolutions. It’s just really great that the Green Party have taken that initiative and come out.”

Olsen-Ratana said awareness of the leases had increased over the past 12 months, and the upcoming election was a good opportunity to get the message out.

Speaking to Local Democracy Reporting, Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said perpetual leases came on the party’s radar after putting out the Hoki Whenua Mai discussion document with the hope of finding ways to get land back to Māori.

A common theme among the public was surprise at how the arrangement was legal, she said.

“Perpetual leases came up as one of the many concerns and challenges that hapū around the motu had had to deal with.

“We looked into it and realised more and more how unjust they are.”

Davidson said her party was keen to bring about the legislative change necessary to abolish the leases, and said the Crown had a responsibility to facilitate that.

Tamaki Legal managing director Darrell Naden is a Māori land expert who has previously spoken out against the leases.

In an interview with Local Democracy Reporting last month, Naden said it was unrealistic to put hope in the government making the legislative change because of the cost it would incur paying out disgruntled lease holders who had been pushed off land.

Asked about this detail, Davidson said if compensation was necessary, that would be a Crown responsibility.

She said the $2.6 billion that had been paid out in Treaty of Waitangi settlements to date paled in comparison to other initiatives, such as the billions spent on Covid workplace support.

“Let’s just be really clear about the comparison of what has been made possible for Māori land in comparison to pretty much anything else.

“Of course this is possible.”

Before last week’s Hoki Whenua Mai policy announcement, former Green Party MP Elizabeth Kerekere promised, over Waitangi Weekend, to make it an election issue.