KEY POINTS:
Hauraki Maori appear unlikely to halt the sale of a $10 million block of prime Coromandel land.
Landcorp chief executive Chris Kelly said yesterday that the board of the state-owned enterprise would meet today to choose a successful tender for the 1100ha Whenuakite Station.
The sale will go ahead at this stage provided there is no other interference.
The successful tender, expected to be New Zealand-based, was likely to be announced by Friday, he said.
"We can confirm that the tenders offshore have not reached the level of the New Zealand tender."
Landcorp chairman Jim Sutton said the decision followed discussions with the Government.
However, Hauraki Maori have vowed to continue their occupation of the land, launched on Sunday.
Hauraki leaders met the heads of the Tainui waka alliance yesterday. Tainui chairman Tuku Morgan said the tribe was unified in opposition to the sale.
He said an urgent meeting had been called with Treaty Negotiations Minister Mark Burton.
Mr Morgan labelled the move to sell off land still contested by a Treaty claim as a modern example of raupatu (confiscation).
The waka alliance was highly concerned that this type of action was being taken.
"It is a travesty that some of the last remaining tracts of land available for settlement are being sold off before negotiations are complete."
On Monday, Mr Burton said the land, if sold, could be bought back from the new buyer for a Treaty settlement.
The block was subject to a memorial registered on the title under Section 27B of the State Owned Enterprises Act.
The memorial allows the Government to buy back the land if it is needed to settle a claim.
However Office of Treaty Settlements acting director Esther King said it was unlikely the Government would buy the land back.
She said the office believed there was more than enough land, including 33,000ha of Crown forestry land within the Hauraki boundaries, to settle the tribe's claim.
