Court of Appeal decision
Prime Minister Helen Clark and Attorney-General Margaret Wilson said today that the Court of Appeal decision pertaining
to the legal status of New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed has no immediate practical effect on either the current use or
the regulation of the foreshore and seabed.
“The decision is a narrow and technical one relating to the jurisdiction within which claims to the foreshore and seabed
may be considered.
“Ownership of the foreshore and seabed has long been considered to lie with the Crown, and the Crown has made provision
for regulation of its use in the national interest.
“In a democracy, citizens are free to explore what their legal rights are through the court system. The government
respects attempts to explore legal rights through the courts, but also acknowledges that issues of ownership and use
affect all New Zealanders.
“The government will be giving consideration to how these issues are best resolved, “Helen Clark and Margaret Wilson
said.