KEY POINTS:
A decision to delay the introduction of legislation relating to the Treaty of Waitangi settlement of some Te Arawa iwi groups shows the Government has made a mess of the deal, the National Party says.
Government ministers said that central North Island iwi, who were not part of the Affiliate Te Arawa Iwi and Hapu settlement, were concerned about accumulated rentals from land that had been set aside for the settlement package.
Ministers said the Government had intended using these funds for Maori development, but the Te Arawa deal would be put on hold so that other issues could be discussed with other central North Island iwi and Maori representative organisations.
National's Treaty negotiations spokesman Chris Finlayson said right from the start the Government had failed to consult Maori groups with overlapping claims.
He said the Waitangi Tribunal had recently criticised this as "picking favourites" and said it was unlikely to lead to durable settlements.
Mr Finlayson said the Government had made a "complete mess" of the negotiations.
National Party Maori affairs spokeswoman Georgina te Heuheu said durable settlements were vital.
"All New Zealanders want to see settlements that will stand the test of time," she said. "That Labour has now backed down shows that they did not do the job properly in the first place."
She said the Government should hand the accumulated rentals back to Maori, who were capable of "charting their own development".
- NZPA
