Shane Jones argued Ngapuhi should make the most of the momentum it had built up and urged the Tribunal not to encourage the iwi's "atomisation". Photo / NZME.
If Ngapuhi delays its Treaty settlement it may miss the tide of history and end up "like sprats stranded in the shallows", former MP Shane Jones says.
Mr Jones, the Ambassador of Pacific Economic Development and architect of the 1992 Sealord fisheries settlement, was giving evidence at an urgent Waitangi
Tribunal hearing on Thursday into how Ngapuhi's Treaty grievances should be settled.
He argued that Ngapuhi should make the most of the momentum it had built up so far and urged the Tribunal not to encourage the iwi's "atomisation".
The Sealord settlement was also dogged by controversy about its mandate and its impact on hapu, eventually ending up in the Court of Appeal. The judge recognised there were shortcomings in the process and that not all aspirations would be satisfied - but said the Sealord deal was "a tide that had to be taken at flood".
Similarly, the Tribunal had to make sure Ngapuhi did not miss a historic opportunity. The alternative could be to end up "like sprats stranded in the shallows".
