High-profile Māori Ministers and Members of Parliament say their doors are open to Te Ohu Kaimoana as the organisation pushes to defend the integrity of the 1992 Māori Fisheries Settlement, declaring the landmark agreement to be “non-negotiable.”
The move by Te Ohu Kaimoana, the body established to look after the Māori fisheries asset on behalf of iwi, comes in response to recent political rhetoric and campaign commitments that the Board warns could “adversely affect and undermine the rights guaranteed to Māori” through the settlement.
Ministers, including Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Shane Jones, Minister of Māori Development Tama Potaka, and Labour Māori MP Willie Jackson, have signalled their backing for the organisation to talk to members of parliament regarding this issue. Te Ohu Kaimoana chairperson, Pahia Turia, has announced the board is actively seeking meetings with political leaders to affirm the settlement’s legally binding status.
Minister Shane Jones, who was instrumental in bringing the original iwi fisheries settlement across the line, spoke passionately about the need to protect the deal. “In my view the treaty interests for fish were settled, that should remain” he stated.
Jones stressed that the work of protecting the asset must continue. “We should not, even after the passing of a generation since Sir Graham Latimer and his peers, allow that powerful settlement to be reduced to a mere fragment.”
Minister of Māori Development Tama Potaka also made the government’s position clear. Referencing the settlement, he said, “The fisheries settlement and all its discussions are there. Our job in the Coalition Government is to uphold the promises within that settlement, and we believe the work of Māori in the realm of Tangaroa and Hinemoa is significant and has its place.”
Potaka was also critical of commentary that has clouded the issue, suggesting that “some people are confused.” He reaffirmed that the government’s actions, such as restricting commercial fishing in marine protected areas, are not about inhibiting Māori customary fisheries.
While Pahia Turia looks to engage with political leaders, the Board’s position remains resolute: “The Māori Fisheries Settlement is not up for debate.” Te Ohu Kaimoana intends to work constructively with all parties to ensure Māori rights and interests are upheld in policy, noting that some adverse positions from politicians may simply “lack the knowledge and education of the legally binding fisheries settlement.”