High Court seabed and foreshore appeal begins

An appeal deciding ownership of a Nelson estuary began today in the High Court at Wellington, with the court ringing to the sounds of a karakia.

The Government is appealing a 1997 Maori Land Court ruling giving Nelson iwi, Ngati Tama, ownership rights to Wakapuaka Estuary, about 20 kilometres northeast of Nelson.

Ngati Tama spokesman John Mitchell earlier said the Court's decision to recognise Maori ownership was based on a land title owned by the iwi for the past 100 years.

But Conservation Minister Chris Carter has said the Court's decision was based on a mistake.

"The Crown considers that this case is about whether a boundary was mistakenly drawn to include the foreshore and seabed. It is a case about administrative error, not customary interests."

The Crown is to argue the Maori Land Court should not have granted title to the mudflats below the high-water mark.

- NZPA