The Land Endures - Rating inquiry report pleases Maori Party
The Maori Party has today congratulated the Independent Panel conducting the Local Government Rates Inquiry for the work they have done in acknowledging the absolute importance of whenua for whanau, hapu and iwi.
“Our people have always considered that while people may perish, the land endures as a precious resource to sustain life itself” said Dr Pita Sharples.
“Te Tiriti o Waitangi reflects this intimate relationship in guaranteeing to Maori "full exclusive possession of the Lands and Estates, Forests, Fisheries''.
“At the time of signing Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Maori owned 66,400,000 acres of land” said Dr Pita Sharples. “And yet a mere twelve years later, almost half of Maori owned land had been illegally taken or acquired”.
“We therefore welcome the bold recommendation by the Panel to address the relationship between the Treaty of Waitangi and rating law, as a key basis for justice for today and tomorrow” said Dr Pita Sharples.
“The panel has confirmed what our people have always said – that the ratings valuation of Maori land is inappropriate and “significantly over-stated”.
“We are unsurprised to learn that the Panel heard examples of “landlocked, unproductive Maori land being valued at inexplicably high figures” or evidence of the complex and strained relationship that often exists between Maori landowners and local government regarding the rating of Maori land”.
“While Councils have been charged with developing policy on Maori land, the over-valuation and over-rating of Maori land as described in the Panels’ report, alongside the “failure of some councils to adequately engage with Maori landowners” has created an extraordinary difficult situation” said Dr Pita Sharples.
“We welcome the strong direction by the panel to set a basis for valuing Maori land for rating purposes with strategies that recognise “the cultural context of Maori land, the objectives of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993 and the inappropriateness of valuations for rating purposes being based on the ‘market value’ of Maori land”" said Dr Pita Sharples.
“We will be advising the Minister to consult widely with whanau, hapu, iwi and Maori organisations in establishing an “explicit programme of work aimed at addressing the entrenched problems of rating Maori land”.
As a last comment, Dr Pita Sharples admitted he was not surprised that the Government’s own press release neglected to make mention of the significant recommendations concerning land covered by Te Ture Whenua Maori Act.
“Presumably these recommendations are the ones the Minister refers to as “challenging” said Dr Pita Sharples “while for many Maori submitters they may describe them as “reassuring”.
“We endorse the challenge issued by the Panel for Central government to pursue a “lead role” in fixing the “vexed issue of the impact of rates on Maori land”.
“The Maori Party will be happy to work alongside the Government in picking up on this challenge” ended Dr Pita Sharples.
Background
Under the Local Government Act 2002, section 102 (4)(f), a local authority must adopt "a policy on the remission and postponement of rates on Maori freehold land".