Turei Metiria: General Debate 
Turei Metiria: General Debate 
[Volume:637;Page:7986] 
METIRIA TUREI (Green) 
: 
Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. The Minister’s decision to review the sale of Landcorp land is very welcome but significantly overdue for two key reasons and I would like to address both of them today. 
The first is that Landcorp’s record of land use is frankly disgraceful. It is contributing to the destruction of indigenous forests and to the ongoing unsustainable land use that is causing environmental havoc in our own country. Just as an example earlier this week it was revealed that Landcorp is currently facing prosecution under the Resource Management Act for clearing more than 100 hectares of native vegetation without having a resource consent. Landcorp was wanting to develop the Hakuraki Farm in the Maroroa Valley by clearing it of native grasses and manuka. In doing so Landcorp went ahead without bothering to get the resource consents it needed for the clearing from the local councils. Although the company secretary has admitted that it was a big mistake—and good on him for doing that—frankly in our view the full force of the law must be brought down on Landcorp. 
All over this country the community is going to enormous efforts to protect indigenous forests and encourage its growth. Farmers who often get a bad rap are replanting wetlands and are allowing areas of scrubland to grow precisely so that they can encourage indigenous forests on their own land. Manuka and native grasses are the beginning stages of the indigenous forest regeneration and as precious ecosystems they provide a nursery for a number of indigenous species. They need protection and not further destruction. The Resource Management Act operates to prevent landowners from such wholesale destruction on their private land and it is regularly enforced against ordinary landowners. Landcorp is no different and it should be made a very serious example of. 
The second reason is that not only is Landcorp terrible when it comes to these issues but also it has an awful record of dealing with Maori land. So this review is especially good news for those iwi who are fighting to retain their interests in Landcorp land such as those in Hauraki and those on the Rangiputa Station. I am particularly pleased about the Rangiputa Station land having discussed that claim in this forum just a few weeks ago. But although the process is being reviewed for current and future Landcorp holdings the Government must take responsibility and find a way to remedy the failure of Landcorp to protect Maori land in the past—and I am not talking about 10 20 or 50 years ago; I am talking about just 5 or 6 years ago. 
I refer here to the place known as the Blue Bay Motor Camp or Opoutama by its original and rightful Maori owners. It was a small motor camp on the shores of the Mahia Peninsula. Landcorp owned this land and was leasing it out to a private firm. It then sold that land in 2000 to Fern Holdings. Landcorp made no effort whatsoever to speak with find or consult with the Maori owners of that land—those who had a Waitangi Tribunal claim on that land those who had made sure that there was a section 27B memorial on that land to protect their interests. The hapu wrote to the then Minister Paul Swain to ask what was going on and why that land was being sold without the hapu even being told about it. His response was that consultation was necessary for Crown-owned land only and that Blue Bay or Opoutama was not owned by the Crown but by its own State-owned enterprise Landcorp and therefore there was no duty to consult. 
As a result of this unconscionable neglect by the Government for this piece of land the Blue Bay camping ground was sold to a private developer who has turned it into about 40 excessively priced condos for the wealthy. Some of the people who used this camping ground had been going there for over 30 years every year with their family. Third-generation people were using it for their own kids as well as Maori being involved with that land and being involved with that same community. The hapu and the community together fought that sale every step of the way. As a last-ditch attempt to try to retain that land the hapu established an occupation on the foreshore just in front of that land during the whole of the last election campaign in 2005. But at that time if there was one thing the Government was not doing it was listening to Maori. 
The struggle to retain that land as a community resource was so significant that it was even captured on film. I would strongly encourage all members and members of the public to see the film  
The Last Resort  
in order to understand this issue. Thank you.