5,000 signatures reached
To: The House of Representatives of Aotearoa New Zealand
Oppose the Amendments to the Marine and Coastal Area Act
The Undersigned Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti demand that:
- The government immediately halt all progress on the amendments to the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act.
- The government uphold its constitutional duty to protect Māori customary interests in the marine and coastal environment.
- Full and genuine consultation with tangata whenua be required in all legislative changes affecting Māori rights in the marine and coastal environment.
Why is this important?
We oppose the amendments because they will:
- Override Treaty principles that protect the integrity of all Treaty-based mechanisms.
- Undermine Treaty articles on protection and partnership.
- Deprive all whānau, hapu and iwi of their legal rights to the marine and coastal environment.
- Strip Māori of the kaitiaki status required to safeguard our marine and coastal ecosystems from environmentally hazardous development.
- Require a level of control over coastal areas that is incompatible with tikanga Māori, and impossible to achieve due to the historical disruption through colonisation.