A veteran Māori rights activist has delivered a petition to Parliament demanding that legislation looking to make it harder for Māori to win customary marine title be immediately scrapped.
The petition - which had nearly 20,000 signatures - was delivered by Rueben Taipari and a group of supporters.
Taipari travelled the length of the North Island from his home in Ahipara in the Far North to Wellington over four days in an effort to gather more signatures and raise awareness of the proposed changes.
The government wants to amend section 58 of the Marine and Coastal Area Act (MACA) to tighten up the test for Māori groups to win customary title and restore the legislation to its "original intent".
Opposition MPs were on hand to take delivery of the petition. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
The Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) (Customary Marine Title) Amendment Bill, which passed its second reading this week, has been condemned by formers ministers, laywers, and iwi leader Aperahama Edwards who said the bill was tantamount to a "raupatu" or confiscation.
Speaking from the steps of Parliament, Taipari said the amendments were more damaging than the legislation MACA replaced - Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004.
"It's worse actually because it's blatant. When they did it in 2004, it was a negative reaction... a reaction to what they thought was going to happen.Twenty years later we've shown that that's never been the case, we've never stopped access to the foreshore.
"What we have done though is we've created our mana again, we've brought back that management of kaitiakitanga, doing rāhui, doing mātaitai, rohe moana," he said.
Rueben Taipari travelled over four days from Northland to Wellington to gather signatures and raise awareness of the proposed changes. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
Asked why the government was pushing ahead with the changes, Taipari said that was a question for the "rich guys".
"Don't ask me, I'm a poor guy, I don't even have a car to get home. But I've just come down here to bring my aroha and my wairua and the mauri of my tūpuna."
He said the petition was an "exercise" to get Māori communities talking.
"Actually, the petition was for us."
"The different hapū that we have talked to have gone back to their communities and they're putting together hui to discuss how they're going to defend themselves. We put all of that kōrero together, we bring it all together and i reira te mana motuhake, te kotahitanga o tātou te iwi," Taipari said.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said he would consider the petition but the government was intent on progressing the legislation next week.
MPs from the Greens, Labour and Te Pāti Māori were at Parliament to meet Taipari. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
Taipari was greeted by opposition MPs from the Green Party, Labour and Te Pāti Māori for a pōwhiri and formal handover.
No members of the coalition were in attendance.
Speaking on behalf of Labour, Willie Jackson said the only way to overcome the "constant attacks" from the government was come together to get the "mongrels" out of Parliament.
Speaking to media, Jackson said the government were just "changes the rules as it suits them".
"It's another shocking example of this government's attack on Māori. We're tired of the attack on Māori rights." he said
"I have no problem calling them [mongrels], I thought that was quite mild actually."
Te Pāti Māori MP Tākuta Ferris called on the Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro to stop the bill from becoming law, should it pass its third reading.
"Her signature is the signature that will move this thing into law." he said.
"She's been challenged a number of times over the last two years to prevent that, in particular instances - hasn't done it yet - she should get her hands into looking after her people, lest the country be ripped apart by division."
Green MP Steve Abel. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
The Green Party's Māori-Crown Relations spokesperson Steve Abel told RNZ said the speed in which the petition was signed and delivered showed a "deep level of discontent".
"This legislation is a wretched piece of law that is in a litany of nasty anti-Māori and anti-Treaty legislation that does nothing for the cohesion of our nation."
Abel said the bill would be "one of the first" to be repealed if the Green were elected next year.
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