Mike McVicker: Bid launched to repeal foreshore act

Rotorua co-ordinator for Coastal Coalition, Mike McVicker, discusses the foreshore and seabed legislation which he says will see areas that have always belonged to all New Zealanders equally under Crown ownership, progressively privatised by Maori.
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Within just two months of the contentious foreshore and seabed bill being rushed through the House by National it would appear that the country's foreshore and seabed has been put up for grabs by iwi. Reports are emerging that claims for prime areas of the coastline are in the pipeline.
To date it has been reported that Shipwreck Bay in the Far North, Kennedy Bay on the Coromandel Peninsula, beaches to the north of Napier and south of Wairoa, plus an area in the Eastern By of Plenty will be subject to Maori claims for customary title - under the Government's new foreshore and seabed law. Add to these the proposal to lodge a claim for 90 Mile Beach and the Hokianga Harbour and one can rightfully ask, where next?
Granted, iwi must next prove customary rights, but the threshold has been lowered substantially by a minister who in fact was in direct consultation with the claimants as to what the law itself should contain. Further, any decision by the minister is non-appealable, and reverses the usual onus of proof from the claimant, ie, assumes that iwi's customary title has not been extinguished unless the Crown can prove otherwise. With no public or judicial scrutiny of the negotiation process, there are no guarantees that the minister will not grant customary title to popular areas like 90 Mile Beach.
The Maori Party has always wanted Maori to gain ownership and control of the entire New Zealand coastline. Given these extreme views, it is hard to believe that the National Party has supported them, albeit in the interests of retaining power. What is worse is that the public were misled by John Key, who completely disregarded the wider public's opposition to this new law being implemented. Submissions and polls showed Maori and non-Maori alike were overwhelmingly opposed to the law changes. But John Key ignored public opinion and passed the law. What this means is that the foreshore and seabed, which had always belonged to all New Zealanders equally under Crown ownership, will now be progressively privatised to Maori tribal corporations.
As a result of this threat to our coastlines, Coastal Coalition was formed by a group of like-minded people to uphold the principle that our coasts belong to all New Zealanders, and not one group of people based on the colour of their skin.
Despite the National Government ignoring public opinion and passing the law, Coastal Coalition is now in the throes of launching a Citizens Initiated Referendum to repeal the Marine and Coastal Area Act and restore Crown ownership of the foreshore and seabed. The challenge will be endeavouring to secure 300,000 signatures so that we can force a public referendum on the issue.
In the event of the Government not taking any notice of a referendum result - as they did with the smacking case - we will be looking to the possible political option of the Act Party under Don Brash making the repeal of this bill one of their bottom line election policies.
What this issue has once again highlighted is the fatal flaw we have in our democratic system. When a government stops representing the views of the people who put them in office, there are no checks and balances in our system. Hence the referendum on MMP in November becomes increasingly important.