Perry Edwin: Foreshore and Seabed Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Perry Edwin: Foreshore and Seabed Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:621;Page:17073] 
EDWIN PERRY (NZ First) 
: 
 With regard to my hapu in the Wairarapa Ngai Tumapuhia Arangi which is based on the Wairarapa coast I believe that their time has come to be able to identify their customary rights to their coastline. Most Maori and most hapu on the coast do know their boundary lines. In the Wairarapa quite clearly Ngai Tumapuhia’s boundary line is from the Whareama River to the Awhea River which is just south of Carterton on the coast.  
Prior to this bill their rights in respect of their customary right was just an airy-fairy agreement quite frankly. I am now endorsing this bill which will be able to identify the hapu’s right to the coastline. It will be no different from the Scottish side of my ancestry which can identify the clan side of my heritage. [ 
Interruption 
] I am quite happy to tell the National Party members who are being disorderly who endorsed the mess-up of this whole thing. I have a property at the beach and last Christmas I put up a sign that said: “Return the foreshore and seabed to the Crown.” It was no different from what the National Party was saying. People were going past honking their horns. Even tangata whenua were coming and saying: “Yes Edwin we agree with you because some of our people if they got hold of it would be selling it off.” This is no different from what happened to our tupuna 100 to 150 years ago who did sell off a lot of the land along the Wairarapa coast. Quite frankly I feel ashamed that from Castlepoint right round to Turakirae Head here in Wellington the Wairarapa Maori own very little of the land that runs down to the foreshore and seabed because it has been sold off. I want to say to Maoridom that they are still doing it and they will still do it. 
Opposition Member 
: That is good! 
EDWIN PERRY 
: Well that is fine but what happens now when they have nothing left? I have sat here all day today listening to the drivel from the National Party and the Green Party. I say to National members that their resource management legislation of 1991 caused this mess. I want to tell them that their party members are coming to see me and ringing me asking why the National Party is not supporting this bill. National members are not supporting it because it is not their bill—it is sour grapes. They have twisted the whole thing round to a racist issue around New Zealand First. That is the only thing they have done. Actually it is a disgrace that National members have taken this angle. If it had been their bill they would have been right with it. It is the sour grapes that have got those folks and that is it.  
I want to talk about access because I am talking about my hapu here. I heard today that certain Maori people are going to stop people going to the beach this summer. I tell members that I have had more Pakeha come to see me in my office in the Wairarapa saying they have been stopped going to the beach by their own people but they have never ever been stopped by Maori. [ 
Interruption 
] Yes I agree that there will be some Maori who will do that but in the Wairarapa in my own area it has not happened with Maori. I will give an example. There is a block of land a prime beach site resort on the Wairarapa coast at Riversdale and my local people my hapu were conned out of it because of collusion between the local farmer and the county council. The local hapu were told that they would never be able to build on that land and that they needed to sell it. As a result of collusion between the county and the farmer the land was bought off the hapu and now there is a $500000 home on that land.  
Members talk about Maori people stopping people going to the beach but Pakeha are just as bad in the Wairarapa. What did Mr Riddiford do? He was charging the cray fishermen a fee to cross Maori land to launch their boats. Members want to talk about access—I have given two good examples.  
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: And he was a good Tory! 
EDWIN PERRY 
: Yes it is a good story. The member is dead right.