FLEECING THE SHORN SHEEP

A US couple were recently found guilty of fraud.  Over a period of six years Alan and Reena Slominski made 132 successful applications for wool loans from their government.  The problem was that the sheep they claimed to have shorn simply did not exist.  So not only had they not shorn the sheep, they had instead fleeced the US government.

As scams go this was small-scale, nickel and dime stuff.  A true scammer would have not only managed to shear the non-existent sheep, they would have then been able to fleece those shorn sheep over and over again.  To learn how to do that the Slominskis should come and take lessons from the New Zealand government.

Last week it took the next step towards extinguishing the mana whenua and rangatiratanga of Te Aupouri, Ngati Kuri, Ngai Takoto and Te Rarawa when it introduced the Te Hiku Claims Settlement Bill into its House. 

This Bill contains the standard fleecing clauses contained in every land claim settlement Act since 1995.  Under it, less than 3.5% of the four iwi’s original land base will be returned, and most of that will be “sold” to them and has to be paid for (ransomed) before the Crown will release it.  The remainder will be “given” to them with encumbrances on it that ensure the Crown keeps control of it.

In exchange for less than 3.5% of their land and some cash, the four iwi will give up their native title over the remaining 96.5% that even the Waitangi Tribunal said they still have, and Crown sovereignty will replace their hapū rangatiratanga.   

After the Bill becomes law, the four iwi will become advisors to the Crown, Northland Regional Council and Far North District Council on the management of Te Oneroa-a-Tohe (90 mile beach); the Crown refuses to acknowledge the beach is still owned by the five iwi.  Their hapū will get to nominate advisors to the Minister of Conservation on the remaining conservation lands in their rohe.  But it’s the Minister who will decide whether the iwi advisors will be appointed and when they will be removed.  The department, Minister and New Zealand Conservation Authority can then amend any plans made by the iwi advisors; the Crown refuses to acknowledge the lands belong to hapū.

The Crown has reserved the right to allow prospecting and mining anywhere it sees fit in the rohe of the four iwi – including in the Warawara forest.  It has also reserved the right in the future to sell any land it retains control over, and the four iwi will have right of first refusal.  They will then become advisors to various government departments on matters of social welfare; the Crown refuses to allow the iwi to control their own social welfare.

Those are the standard tricks contained in the Bill.  Next week we will consider the new tricks the Crown has devised to fleece the shorn sheep.