Hui as seabed anger mounts

By RUTH BERRY political reporter

Heated debate over the "ownership" word will dominate a major hui of Auckland and Northland iwi on Saturday, the first big tribal gathering since the Government released its foreshore and seabed proposals.

The anger welling up against the Government in the region is such that Te Tai Tokerau MP Dover Samuels' office yesterday released a statement in which some prominent community leaders defended his support for the Government's plans, rejected calls for his resignation and called for calm.

It followed a barrage of negative phone calls to Mr Samuels' two electorate offices the day after the Government's announcement, which has been widely criticised by Maori.

Eleven iwi authorities have called the hui, to be held in Te Tii.

Te Runanga A Iwi O Ngapuhi chairman Sonny Tau said it was the first time iwi from Auckland to the Cape had all banded together for such a hui since 1808.

"It's a historic meeting and what we hope will come out of it is a united approach to the foreshore and seabed issue that the iwi authorities in Tai Tokerau can work with."

Mr Tau and Ngati Kahu chairwoman Margaret Mutu are set to address the hui and said yesterday there was widespread opposition to the Government's plans.

Mr Samuels will attend but downplayed the opposition yesterday, saying it was largely misinformed.

He was supported by Te Aupouri Maori Trust Board trustee Tom Murray, Muriwhenua Runanga chairman Rima Edwards, Ngati Whatua's Tapihana Shelford, local leader Rudy Taylor and others - suggesting hopes a unified position could come out of the meeting are unlikely to be realised.

Tai Tokerau Maori Trust Board chairman Sir Graham Latimer also threw his weight behind the Government, saying it had taken a "very pragmatic approach" and deserved credit for the minefield it had manoeuvred its way through.

"There are issues in the framework that were presented by the Government that need to be discussed and clarified and I am sure that the consultation process will help provide that."

Mr Tau said many people were unclear about what the Government had done and the hui was designed to inform them.

On the table were questions of whether to join the battle being spearheaded by the Te Tau Ihu tribes and whether northern hapu and iwi actually wanted to engage with the Government over the issue.

If the north was able to unify, it could be a powerful force. Groups would otherwise determine their own positions.

Mr Tau said Ngapuhi, the country's biggest tribe, had yet to agree on its stance.

He believed ownership was "a dangerous" and inappropriate word to use in the debate, but believed the retention of customary title - which was closer to the Maori concept of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) - was crucial.

From that flowed the inalienable right of Ngapuhi to regulate and manage or co-manage the coast, as well as the right to exploit commercial opportunities, he said.

But Dr Mutu and Auckland Maori District Council chairwoman Titewhai Harawira, who has been organising Ngapuhi meetings in Auckland, both said "ownership" was the critical word.

Dr Mutu said the Government had approached the issue from a monocultural perspective, which meant "Maori and Pakeha are actually talking past each other".

It was the "extremely unfortunate" result of the Government having failed to consult before it drew up its plans.

Whanau and hapu had mana whenua or mana moana (mana over the land or sea) over the foreshore and seabed - a concept much broader than ownership, but encompassing it.

The word ownership had to be used because it got to the heart of the matter.

Mrs Harawira said support for her calls for a hikoi was growing every day.