The New Zealand Maori Council has been given leave to appeal
to the Supreme Court over water rights.
At a three-day High Court hearing in Wellington last month,
the council unsuccessfully argued that the Government should
establish the extent of Maori ownership rights over
freshwater and geothermal resources and make redress for them
before the partial sale of Mighty River and other power
companies under the Government's "mixed ownership model".
A Supreme Court judgment released this morning gave the
council the right to appeal over whether the High Court was
right to dismiss the application for review.
The respondents - the attorney-general, finance minister and
state-owned enterprises minister have until 1pm on Friday to
file their case.
The appellants, the council and the Waikato River and Dams
Claim Trust have until January 18 to file their submissions.
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