Don't rush into Treaty talks, minister tells iwi

Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson has told iwi leaders not to let the 2014 deadline for Treaty settlements panic them to the negotiating table before they are ready.

Mr Finlayson was speaking yesterday at a national hui in Wellington of about 200 iwi leaders. It followed an earlier hui for the leaders to discuss ways to speed up the settlement process.

Mr Finlayson said no groups should feel anxious about not already being in negotiations, despite the Government's goal of settling claims by 2014.

He said the Government was aware that groups moved at different speeds on negotiations and faced an "inherently stressful" process because their decisions would impact on future generations.

"There is little point in trying to enter negotiations until you are prepared to make those decisions."

He said the Crown would also struggle if all groups were ready to settle immediately - it would be unable to meet the demand. No group would be disadvantaged by not already being in negotiations.

"There are five years to 2014, and I am hopeful there will be a place for all of you within the settlement process by that date."

However, he said both sides should complete negotiations quickly once they had begun. Protracted negotiations stretched resources and held up other waiting groups.

He also announced the Government would boost funding by $2 million to $3 million a year to help pay claimants' negotiation costs.

That would mean a 60 per cent increase in funding to groups without Crown Forestry Rental Trust funding, and a 10 per cent rise for those who did get the trust funding.

Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples referred to High Court action by Tuhoe hapu Te Umutaoroa, which is challenging the mandate of Tuhoe's settlement authority, Te Kotahi a Tuhoe, to negotiate for it.

He urged those at the hui not to follow suit by resorting to court action, saying it effectively stripped Maori of their mana [authority] and instead handed it over to the court.

"It tugs at my heart when we see our leaders at odds over mandate. But don't give the court the mana over us. We are the caretakers of our own mana. Please have patience - we've got to get through this thing together in our way, the Maori way."

Mr Finlayson backed Dr Sharples' call, saying litigation was not the way to deal with roadblocks in settlements.

He said the Government would consider the ideas iwi leaders presented at the hui - including whether to second public servants who are members of the negotiating iwi to work with claimants through the process.

The Budget had given the Office of Treaty Settlements an extra $22 million, and facilitators had been appointed to help some groups work out mandate issues and overlapping claims before beginning negotiations.

Mr Finlayson said the path to 2014 was clearer than before, but "patience and application" from both sides were needed to hit the goal.

Finance Minister Bill English spoke on behalf of Prime Minister John Key to reassure iwi the Government would not under-resource the settlements process.

He said the Government had made decisions in the Budget that were at a "political cost" to it, including deferring its tax cuts and stopping contributions to the Super Fund.

But the amount available for Treaty settlements was not affected. Iwi could rest easy that the money had been budgeted for.