Who owns NZ's water?
Sunday 16 September 2012
Kereama Pene, Ngāti Rangiteaorere: "We're in a battle for mana over wai. Everyone is saying geothermal doesn't belong to us. We say we have a cultural right to it."
Tai Eru, Ngāti Rangiteaorere: “I think he (PM) has to understand Māoridom. Māori have always believed if you own land, they have mana on water.”
Tawhiri Morehu, chair Taheke 8C: "Not in the best interest of NZ I dear say. After all as far as we're concerned we have every right to that water that passes through our land."
Sunday 16 September 2012
Tukoroirangi Morgan, Kīngitanga spokesperson: “Clearly people heeded the call of the king, because water unites us all and in the end the mounting concern and the messages being conveyed by the Government compelled Māori to come together.”
Willie Jackson, Urban iwi leader: “I haven’t seen a gathering like that since the foreshore in 2004 where we had everyone coming together tribal leaders and people from the street it was a wonderful day a day to be proud of.”
Tukoroirangi Morgan and Willie Jackson
Sunday 16 September 2012
Meryl Carter, trustee: “It’s been a long battle but we never ever gave up”
Taipari Munro, chair Whatitiri Māori Reserve: “Is to give some recognition to the tangata whenua the relationship we have with that water it is a very complex relationship.”
Moera O’Leary, landowner: “That’s what I mean that’s what we are we have to be united in that you know it’s a passionate thing it brings tears to the eye and it makes the blood boil because you are trying to save us.”
People of Porotī plan for the Future
Sunday 09 September 2012
Toni Waho, Ngāti Rangi: “We’ve been waiting for the Tribunal to tell us that we have mana and tino rangatiratanga over our lands and our waters. This tribunal has come forward with that the very thing we have been seeking.”
Roger Pikia, Ngāti Tahu Ngāti Whaoa chair Te Arawa River Iwi Trust: “The bigger issue is about how in fact proprietary rights in favour of Māori will be recognised and dealt with by the Crown and that’s a conversation that we all have to enter in with the Crown.”
Sunday 09 September 2012
Che Wilson, Executive Manager Ngāti Rangi Trust Te Kāhui o Paerangi: “Yes we have a whakapapa connection yes it’s our responsibility to connect to the wai, to protect the wai, to protect the land, protect the mountain but it’s also us finding a way in this modern context to ensure that protection is upheld.”
Keith Wood, Environmental Advocate Ngāti Rangi: “We belong to these waterways weve had many, many centuries of whanaungatanga, a relationship with the waterways and they have nutured us and looked after us and so in kind we have to repay that respect and acknowledge that”
Tracey Hickman, GM Assets Genesis Energy: “In some ways its small but significant in terms of what Genesis Energy is able to provide at this stage.”
Ngāti Rangi and Genesis Energy
Sunday 12 August 2012
Sir Eddie Taihakurei Durie, co-Chair NZ Māori Council: "The Government is not legally bound to follow the recommendations of the Waitangi Tribunal, it's just Treaty bound. If it's going to stand by the undertakings it made at the time of the signing of the Treaty then, oh yes, it should certainly be listening to the Tribunal."
Sunday 15 July 2012
Willy Emery, trustee Waitangi Soda Springs: “They don’t have a right to tell us that we own the water. We know we own the water.”
Te Rangikaheke Bidois, chair Te Maru o Ngāti Rangiwewehi: “Who owns the water down in our puna – we do. And you’re always careful when you say we do, you don’t want to give the wrong impression that it’s not an exclusive ownership, it’s an ownership about you know you have to share it but somebody has to be in charge of it.”
Toby Curtis, chair Te Arawa Lakes Trust: “We own the water in our concept of ownership. All that has evolved over thousand years of living beside it… It’s impossible for anyone to say to me whether it’s the Prime Minister, the Government, the Queen or whoever to turn around and then say to me you don’t own that water.”
“Water runs through our veins”
Sunday 15 July 2012
Willie Jackson, commentator: “What Key has done this week is he’s sort of turned the nation against Māoridom subtly playing the race card saying, you’ve got to watch out for these Māori, they’ll sell off the water. I think what people have to do is listen to what Sir Eddie Durie has to say. He’s a very reasoned spokesman on this. He says it’s not about Māori owning the water, it’s about looking after Māori interests.”
Sunday 15 July 2012
Lawrence Yule, president Local Government NZ: “The councils have a legislative role to manage water on behalf of all people in NZ we don’t have a view or any mandate to say who owns the water that’s an issue between Crown and in fact iwi.”
Ian Mackenzie, water spokesperson Federated Farmers: “But if you go to ownership I would have thought you would probably have to go the whole hog and go to ownership which is what they have in Australia and parts of America” – Miriama Kamo, “so what does that mean everyone owns water?” Ian Mackenzie: “That means whoever owns water have private property absolute private property rights in water that doesn’t exist in NZ at the moment.”
Sunday 8 July 2012
Maanu Paul, co-chair NZ Māori Council: “Once we get a decision from the Tribunal that says, yes Māori have proprietorial interests in water - Government go and negotiate with Māori, a cost will be incurred. Immediately overnight the shares will halve.”
Rawiri Taonui, Political Commentator: “You can’t go into another country and help yourself to their water or hook a hose up to an irrigation scheme on the farm or help yourself to water in a supermarket – you have to pay for it. It’s quite interesting Scotty that misconception is only ever cited when it comes to Māori water rights.”
NZ Maori Council and Political Commentator
Sunday 06 Novermber 2011
Taipari Munro, chair Te Uriroroi: "At no point did we say to anybody, hey here's the mana of our water, you fullas take it, you do with it what you want to do with it, at no point did we say that, they just came here and took this."
Moera O'Leary, landowner and farmer: "We the Māori around here and yeah there are a few Pākehā too, but by in large Māori around here have been the active ones in keeping our water ways as clean as they possible can and for all that they get a kick in the teeth from the regional council when it comes to bargaining time, I don't think so, I don't think that's right period."
Lorraine Norris, landowner: "I'm really angry that the voice of the people has been excluded by a law that was only recently put into place to allow 35 takes to exist you see prior to this mana the takes were for 10 years."
