Opposition Māori MPs are urging the government to take its controversial Māori land reform bill back to the Māori Affairs Select Committee for more consideration.
Nine MPs have written to the Māori Development Minister, Te Ururoa Flavell, demanding the committee get the opportunity to look at the most recent changes to the bill.
"Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua."
The Māori proverb which reminds us that people come and go but the land remains forever.
The letter asks that the Māori Affairs Select Committee be given the opportunity to look at the most recent changes to the Māori land reform bill. Photo: RNZ / Mihingarangi Forbes
Māori have long been suspicious about the government's treatment of Māori land so it's no surprise the current attempt to reform Māori land faces resistance.
Mana Party Leader and new friend of the Māori Party, Hone Harawira, has been scathing of the bill and the government's history with Māori land.
"We tend to lose a lot of our land whenever the Crown says trust us we've got your back. It's of grave concern.
"There is no more conservative Māori organisation than the Māori Women's Welfare League and they've decided to take it all the way to the United Nations because of the lack of consultation."
The bill which aims to reform the governance and management of Māori land was introduced into Parliament less than a year ago.
Since its inception there have been 150 hui, 130 amendments and 30 clauses in the bill have been abandoned.
Te Ururoa Flavell and Hone Harawira. Photo: RNZ
Last Friday, Mr Flavell introduced even more changes and for that reason members of the Māori Select Committee, including Labour's Meka Whaitiri, are calling for the bill to be brought back to committee.
"It's about scrutinising his amendments in a very public way through the select committee process, the democratic process," said Ms Whaitiri.
Ms Whaitiri and eight other MPs have signed the letter which they sent to Mr Flavell earlier this week, the minister said he had only just received it.
"Yeah I got it this morning so I'm just giving it a little bit more consideration and getting some advice on it.
Mr Flavell said the letter advised that the MPs wanted the bill to go back to select committee and an assurance that people had had enough time to go through it.
Pita Paraone Photo: NZFirst
One of those who signed the letter, New Zealand First's Pita Paraone, said given the short timeframe he was hoping for a quick response.
"Not as yet I tried to get something from our chairman but he was pretty evasive about it and I can understand why."
Despite the building pressure from iwi leaders, law experts, law academics and now two thirds of the Māori Affairs Select Committee, Mr Flavell still isn't convinced.
"On the face of it I'm struggling to see why we need to go back there bearing in mind people have had it for a long period of time but I'll give it some consideration."
Hone Harawira said he had a number of reasons why the bill should be halted and offers up this one.
"Right now I can say 99.9 9 9 percent of Māori don't know what's in the bill because they haven't read it, therefore are unlikely to intelligently agree or disagree with it.
"Hence my request to sit down with Te Ururoa so we can go through some of the basics but really so we can get broader consultation on it."
Mr Harawira said he would meet with Mr Flavell to be briefed on the bill.
But Mr Harawira wants his former deputy leader and Māori land lawyer Annette Sykes at the briefing to work through the 440-page document.
Mr Flavell said he was happy for Ms Sykes to be there.
Mr Flavell's office wouldn't say whether there was another seat for Ms Sykes but the Māori Land Bill is shaping up to be the make or break issue for the Māori and Mana Parties.
