KEY POINTS:
National has backed away from its policy of wanting the Maori seats in Parliament abolished immediately and says it now wants the process begun in 2014, when it believes historical Treaty settlements will be resolved.
It has also decided against supporting the Maori Party's foreshore and seabed bill, which would repeal the Foreshore and Seabed Act.
Leader John Key announced both decisions from the party's caucus retreat in Gisborne, after informing the Maori Party co-leaders of the foreshore decision.
National went into the last election promising to abolish the seats immediately if it could muster the support of more than half of Parliament, the only step required to abolish the seats, aside from other related boundary and electorate changes.
Its position is not supported by other parties in Parliament and is obviously opposed by the Maori Party, which National now views as a potential governing partner.
Mr Key denied the party had backed down, but said: "I think the timeframe was a little short to get through what was required." It was also a "tidy package" to tie it to the end of the settlement process, he said.
The Government wanted all historic claims registered by 2008.
A National government would ensure the Office of Treaty Settlements and the Waitangi Tribunal were "appropriately resourced" to speed up the process, which he believed could then be completed by 2014.
"At that point we can say that historical claims and historical issues have been resolved. I think it's well understood that the Maori seats were not meant to be in place forever. In fact they were meant to be in for a much shorter time than has actually taken place.
"We believe in one standard of citizenship for all New Zealanders. We want to have all New Zealanders on the general roll and we think it's supported by the majority of New Zealanders."
The 1986 Royal Commission of Inquiry had found that with the advent of MMP there was no longer a need for the seats.
"I think you'll see increasingly from Maori leaders support for this position."
Mr Key pointed to the announcement that there would not be another Maori seat as proof that this was a position Maori were increasingly adopting.
He said, "National won't be supporting the foreshore and seabed legislation."
The party wanted "better legislation", but did not support the Maori Party position of simply repealing the current legislation.
"We don't see the gain from going back to a position which was unresolved."
Mr Key said the issue was "not a number one priority for National over the next 18 months" and he hadn't discussed revisiting the issue with the Maori Party if National won the next election.
He said had repeatedly told the Maori Party its bill was"untenable" for National in its current form.
He had called both Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia to inform them "as a matter of courtesy".
"I'm sure they will be disappointed, but we make policies in the best interests of our supporters and what we believe in."
