Leaders trade blows over treaty inquiry

By AUDREY YOUNG political editor

Prime Minister Helen Clark and United Future leader Peter Dunne launched a joint attack on National leader Don Brash yesterday over his refusal to back an inquiry into the place of the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand's constitutional arrangements.

Dr Brash in turn accused United Future of trying to help Labour get the foreshore and seabed off the political agenda by promoting the idea on Labour's behalf.

Mr Dunne has been calling for a commission of inquiry for several years but it has gained the interest of Helen Clark only since Dr Brash soared to popularity on race issues.

Dr Brash yesterday dismissed Mr Dunne's call for an inquiry as "passing the buck" on the debate over equality in New Zealand, "a smokescreen" and "a diversionary tactic by Labour to get it off the hook with its Maori caucus".

"Understandably she [Helen Clark] is seeking any way she can find to take this off the political agenda until the next election.

"Governments are elected to govern in the national interest. If Helen Clark is unable to govern because of the state of her caucus, she should call an election and clear the decks for someone who can."

Asked if he agreed many Pakeha had felt left out of the treaty debate and that an inquiry could give them a chance to join it, he said: "Most of the people I have got support from are very clear about what they want.

"I don't think they need another commission of inquiry to shed light on what they want.

"They want New Zealanders treated equally regardless of race. I don't think they want to debate that."

Dr Brash believed Mr Dunne, whose party supports the minority Government on confidence issues, would have sought the Prime Minister's approval before his latest calls for an inquiry.

Mr Dunne said Dr Brash's reasoning could be seen as "self-serving politics of the worst kind" and "either madness or an extreme poverty of vision".

"This now looks very much like 'whoopee-do, we've stumbled on to what could an election winner - the last thing we actually want is this issue resolved because we are solely interested in the political advantage in a short-term way."

Helen Clark said Dr Brash would prefer to "run around the country with his urban myths and scurrilous tales stirring up as much discord as possible" rather than cope with informed debate.

"Having launched a debate, he knows he has lost control of it and the facts start to get in the way of his stories. Now Don Brash sees the waka he launched stuck in a mire of his own making."

She said treaty-related development over many years had moved ahead of the public's understanding.

"That's not surprising: the treaty has been seen as peripheral to most people's lives."