Farmers snipe over iwi Government meetings

By RUTH BERRY

Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen locked horns with Federated Farmers yesterday as the temperature over the foreshore and seabed debate continued to rise.

Federated Farmers president Tom Lambie accused the Government of giving Maori "preferential treatment" because the Government had ignored a Federated Farmers request for a meeting, but had met iwi groups.

Many farmers owned foreshore and would be affected by the policy, he said.

Dr Cullen immediately issued a statement promising a meeting today, but said he resented the preferential treatment suggestion.

"We have met Maori because Maori are vitally interested in this issue," he said.

"But we have also met other interested parties, including the ports, local government, recreational and environmental groups."

Federated Farmers had approached the Prime Minister's department seeking a meeting and had gone to the media straight afterwards.

"It is hard to escape the idea they are playing games, but I will meet them out of respect for their membership."

Mr Lambie backed away from the preferential claim late yesterday, saying he did not know other groups had also been meeting the Government.

This week, Dr Cullen was involved in fiery exchanges with members of a group of iwi representatives - Te Ope Mana a Tai - he has met.

Yesterday, he again accused the group of giving inaccurate reports of their meetings.

National deputy leader Gerry Brownlee fuelled the tension by quoting in Parliament from a private Te Ope Mana a Tai briefing paper summing up the group's last meeting with Dr Cullen.

The paper reiterated claims, denied by Dr Cullen, that he faced knockbacks.

He told the group that "discussions by the Cabinet and its committee the preceding week had led to a retreat from some of the things he had previously been discussing with Te Ope," the paper said.

It also said the Cabinet had problems with co-management, a concept Dr Cullen has promoted.

Te Ope Mana a Tai members agreed yesterday to refrain from further public comment in coming days.

Despite the clashes, Dr Cullen is understood to have offered the group another meeting today.

But it will be subject to "confidentiality" conditions. The group was believed to be considering the matter last night.

Federated Farmers spokeswoman Catherine Petrey said yesterday that a key issue for farmers was the definition the Government was using for "foreshore".

If foreshore meant the land from the "mean high water spring mark" (the furthest point inland the tide reaches once a year) to the low water mark, hundreds of farmers would be affected by the Government's plans to enforce public access to it.

If foreshore was defined as between the mean high water mark and the low water mark - the area usually covered and uncovered by the tide - many fewer farmers would be affected.

The Resource Management Act uses the wider definition.

But the Herald understands the Government has opted to use the narrower definition to restrict the number of landowners affected.

Using this definition it is understood only 48 titles to the foreshore are explicitly owned.