Maori Party upset at housing plan

Te Ururoa Flavell.
Te Ururoa Flavell.
The Maori Party is asking Government to explain why it did not speak to Auckland iwi over its plans to develop Crown-owned land for housing.

Ngati Whatua is considering legal action after Housing Minister Nick Smith did not give the iwi right of first refusal on up to 500 hectares of land earmarked for residential development.

Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell said he had asked the Government for a "please explain".

Mr Flavell said that if the Crown was able to override the right of first refusal rule then it had significant implications for all Treaty settlements.

Co-leader Marama Fox said right of first refusal was a standard provision in most Treaty settlements and was partly to recognise the "paltry compensation" paid to iwi for their losses.

"It is antithesis to good faith obligations on the part of the Crown to on the one hand offer apologies and compensation to iwi through their Treaty settlements, and then completely ignore them when it is convenient to do so," she said.

As part of the Budget announced last month, Government announced plans to develop residential housing on up to 500ha of Crown-owned land in partnership with the private sector.

Dr Smith rejected Ngati Whatua's belief that it had the right to buy this surplus land first, saying this provision was not in its Treaty settlement.

The right of first refusal was, however, included in a separate settlement with the Tamaki Collective, a group of 13 iwi including Ngati Whatua.

Dr Smith said the collective was consulted on the surplus land sales in April.

The Tamaki settlement, which passed into law last year, also had a provision which allowed Government to develop and sell land for housing purposes.

"What the Government is doing is absolutely consistent with what's in that [Tamaki] Act," Dr Smith said.

Labour Party MP Phil Twyford said Dr Smith's dealings with iwi risked undermining the major housing policy.

"I think the whole thing could be derailed if iwi have in fact not been properly consulted and they choose to go to court over this."

Several New Zealand and Australian developers are lining up to build on the land.

Mr Twyford said Dr Smith appeared to be happy to gift the lucrative development deals to overseas developers instead of iwi.

"Ngati Whatua simply want to build affordable houses for the people of Auckland. So why is he trying to cut them out of a deal?"

Dr Smith said that any developments on the surplus land would have to include a portion of affordable housing.

He said it was important to have developers which could build a large number of houses as quickly as possible.

- by Isaac Davison of the New Zealand Herald

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