Hon Bill English MP National Party Leader

16 July 2003

Clark accused of cave-in

National Party Leader Bill English is today taking his Party's message on the foreshore and seabed issue to a part of the country that stands to lose the most from Government indecision.

Speaking to a public meeting in Whangarei, Mr English has accused Helen Clark of caving in to a Maori minority.

"You can't go anywhere in this province without realising how important access to the beaches is for tourism, recreation or fishing.

"It's a wonderful part of this great country of ours, and it's for everyone to enjoy - at least that's how it should be.

"But following a weekend hui in Paeroa Maori said they alone had title to the seabed and foreshore and rights to the resources in them.

"Then earlier this week, Helen Clark caved in.

"Labour plans to allow Maori to go through the Courts to establish private title to what most New Zealanders think of as a public resource. "National stands for one standard of citizenship for all. It is our path to the future," Mr English told the meeting.

"National will see that our coastline and our beaches remain in the hands of all New Zealanders.

"It's the birthright of every New Zealander to go to the beach, to walk the coast, to throw a fishing line in the water - it's about what it means to be a New Zealander.

"I want for my children a country where rights come from a common citizenship, not from ethnic identity," Mr English says.

Ends

© Scoop Media