Both sides claim victory after rival hui

By RUTH BERRY

As the increasingly bitter battle to win hearts and minds over the foreshore and seabed issue continues, both sides are claiming victory after weekend hui in the Coromandel.

The Hauraki Maori Trust Board held a hui at Manaia on Saturday, while Associate Maori Affairs Minister John Tamihere held one over the hill at Kennedys Bay.

Trust board spokesman John McEnteer said feelings against the Government's policy at the 100-strong Manaia hui appeared to have hardened.

"There's very clear opposition to the policy coming from Hauraki."

But Mr Tamihere said the 120 Hauraki people at his hui had told him they were "comfortable" with the plans outlined.

This was because it was "the first time they have been given detailed information" about what the Government was proposing.

He questioned the board's mandate and motives, suggesting it was misrepresenting the extent of its people's opposition while misleading them into believing their claims were stronger than they were.

Mr McEnteer said it was Mr Tamihere, not the trust board, who was misleading people.

Mr Tamihere had released information which, by his own admission, showed significant areas of Hauraki had extremely strong foreshore and seabed cases which would have entitled groups to claim freehold title.

The Government had previously suggested the likelihood of such cases succeeding was low, suggesting it was continually changing its story.

Mr McEnteer dismissed Mr Tamihere's meeting as a "whanau" hui and said "if anyone was going to give him support it would have been his own family".

The trust board hui had established an action committee to continue to examine ways to put pressure on the Government.

Mr Tamihere said he was still at a loss to understand exactly what it was the trust board was opposing, as it kept failing to identify the problems.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen refused to back Mr Tamihere's claim that but for the Government plans, groups would likely have gained private title to 10 per cent of the foreshore and seabed.

"I can't pre-judge the Maori Land Court inquiry.

"Given the current law was not designed to deal with foreshore and seabed and that it is not going to countenance new freehold ownership to foreshore and seabed, then, in a sense, the numbers are not that highly relevant."