Auckland foreshore hui axed

By RUTH BERRY, political reporter

The Government's handling of the foreshore and seabed issue was dealt another blow yesterday, when Ngati Whatua cancelled the final consultation hui to be held at Orakei Marae in Auckland on Friday.

The last-minute cancellation, together with stern criticism about the way it was arranged, is a major embarrassment for the Government, which was last night left scrambling to find a marae willing to host it.

It briefly considered abandoning the hui, but Tamaki Makaurau MP and Associate Maori Affairs Minister John Tamihere last night pledged the show would go on and rejected suggestions of a slap in the face.

Two South Auckland marae are being considered for the hui, which is expected to attract sizeable protest, although he was unable to say last night how many other ministers would attend.

Ngati Whatua o Orakei Maori Trust Board chairman Sir Hugh Kawharu confirmed yesterday that he had written to Prime Minister Helen Clark asking the Government to cancel the hui.

It occurred as the Government's proposals were again given a firm rejection at its ninth consultation hui in Taranaki, where frustrated Education Minister Trevor Mallard was at one point asked not to yell.

The Orakei trust board approached Te Puni Kokiri about cancelling the hui more than a week ago, after members "accidentally" discovered the agency's officials had booked the venue without speaking with trustees.

Sir Hugh said the lack of consultation was one of several reasons it had wanted to cancel the event, but it had been talked out of this by TPK officials last Friday.

The trust board entered direct negotiations with the Government over its treaty grievances covering central Auckland in May, but then agreed to delay the foreshore and seabed aspect of the claim until the Court of Appeal decision was released.

The board has not yet prepared its foreshore and seabed position, and therefore saw no point in discussing the matter at a hui which Sir Hugh said was seen as an "imposition".

But after TPK expressed concern about changing the venue, the board agreed the Bastion Point marae could be used, saying it would welcome people on and then leave the Government to talk to those who were interested.

"But the fact of handing the marae over began to make people in the community feel very uneasy frankly, because of the thought of disruption. That tramples on our mana."

Asked what message was being sent to the Government, Sir Hugh said: "The message is consultation, for god's sake. If there had been appropriate discussion, consultation about having a hui at Orakei with sufficient time, and I'm talking about six months ... we might have been able to work our way through this.

"But instead of that we found more or less by mistake or by coincidence that there was to be a hui.

"If there's a lesson so far as we are concerned it is that once more, it's a pity we weren't consulted.

"It's got nothing to do with seabed or foreshore or anything else, it's a matter of principle."