Feelings run high as hui spurns foreshore policy

By RUTH BERRY

A tense hui yesterday heard blunt warnings that the Government faced division and conflict if it pushed ahead with its foreshore and seabed plans.

Bay of Plenty iwi called on the Government to "come to its senses", abandon its plans and talk constructively to Maori.

The call at Maketu, near Rotorua, echoed the resounding rejection of the plans at the first hui on the East Coast on Thursday.

About 50 protesters greeted ministers and their officials, carrying sovereignty banners and signs with messages such as "Reject Clown Offer".

Veteran protester Tame Iti led the Government party in and flicked sand, from the foreshore, on the visitors walking behind him.

Wira Gardiner, brought in by the Government to chair or co-chair the 600-strong hui, was replaced by Te Arawa Trust Board chairman Arapeta Tahana, with Tuwharetoa paramount chief Tumu te Heuheu at his side, in a firm message to the Government about who was in charge.

Ministers, on the back foot, defended their willingness to consult Maori and to protect customary rights.

They faced heckling, particularly Attorney-General Margaret Wilson when she said that while the Government had to address the public access issue, there was now an undue focus on "ownership".

Ms Wilson sparked the initial uproar when she said the Crown would assert ownership of the foreshore and seabed.

A number of speakers rejected her stance, saying the Government had badly mismanaged the issue and Maori were feeling the brunt of this.

The outright rejection at the first two hui raised speculation yesterday that the Government may abandon the other nine. But Education Minister Trevor Mallard said there was "absolutely no suggestion" of that.

"The message we are getting is that people don't like the package, but they want to engage."

Other aspects of the process, including the speed with which the Government wanted to move, would be reviewed, he said.

Speaker after speaker yesterday highlighted a long-held distrust of the Crown and its motives, born out of years of bitter experiences, and said its recent actions had aggravated those suspicions.

Self-described treaty activist Annette Sykes said the four Government principles - certainty, protection, access and regulation - "actually spell the word crap".

Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia defended absent Prime Minister Helen Clark against several attacks and said while "it might seem like kupapa [traitor] stuff, I support the Government".