Dr Wayne Mapp MP

National Party Treaty of Waitangi & Constitutional Issues Spokesman

11 June 2004

Labour's sorry record with Treaty settlements

"In five years, Labour has passed only four Treaty of Waitangi settlement acts dealing with historic grievances, adding up to $73.75 million," says National Party Treaty of Waitangi and Constitutional Issues spokesman Wayne Mapp.

The latest summary of Treaty settlements progress by the Office of Treaty Settlements, says that the Government is finally ready to present the Ngati Awa Settlement Bill.

"But the heads of agreement was signed on that deal back in 1999 by Sir Doug Graham," says Dr Mapp.

"So far there is no indication that Labour has come to grips with the scale of the issues in front of it. The process appears to have stalled. National wants this process accelerated and brought to an end.

"There are no settlements in relation to confiscations in the Bay of Plenty area. The volcanic plateau forestry settlement drags on and there has been practically no progress in the far north.

"In the past five years the Office of Treaty Settlements, the Government's principal negotiating body, has burnt through almost $175 million, but in my view we have precious little to show for it.

"This is in stark contrast to the pace under the previous National Government, and I find it extraordinary that the Labour Government has achieved so little in the way of settlements over the past five years.

"The public, both Maori and non-Maori want the settlement process brought to a just conclusion," says Dr Mapp.

Yearly appropriations made to Vote Treaty Negotiations:
1999/2000 $60.066 million
2000/01 $27.936 million
2001/02 $27.239 million
2002/03 $27.928 million
2003/04 $31.727 million (total: $174.896 million)

For 2004/05 the estimate for Vote Treaty Negotiations is $31.727 million. Source: Parliamentary Library

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