Come Clean On Maori Land Access, Labour
Thursday 2 Sep 2004
Gerry Eckhoff - Press Releases - Rural
ACT New Zealand Rural Affairs Spokesman Gerry Eckhoff today labelled the Labour Government a disgrace, following its
refusal to rule out exempting Maori-owned land from its proposal to open up farm access to the public.
"Today in Parliament, I asked Rural Affairs Minister Jim Sutton to rule out exempting Maori-owned land from Labour's
proposal to force landowners to open their properties to the public - he declined to do so," Mr Eckhoff said.
"Rather, Mr Sutton attempted to avoid the question, saying he would not comment on a hypothetical situation. That's not
good enough.
"Cabinet Papers obtained from the Minister's own office show that he believes Maori should receive special treatment.
He has ordered his officials to do more work in this area - knowing full well that New Zealanders won't tolerate such
blatant racial separatism.
"Mr Sutton must unequivocally rule out giving Maori landowners special privileges. No New Zealanders, regardless of
their ethnicity, should be subjected to Labour's latest attack on property rights," Mr Eckhoff said.
ENDS