WAATEA NEWS COLUMN: 3 Waters is back but the mainstream media aren’t talking about it
Only Waatea news and RNZ were major media outlets that announced an extraordinary claim by Māori over their water rights.
3 Waters is back but the mainstream media aren’t talking about it!
A collective of around 60 Māori Land Trusts, representing over 150,000 landowners and multiple iwi and hapū across the North Island, have filed legal proceedings in the High Court. They argue that successive governments have failed to uphold their rights under Te Tiriti o Waitangi by continuing to allocate water on a “first‑in, first‑served” basis. They are seeking:
- Stronger legal recognition of tikanga Māori and Māori proprietary rights over freshwater and geothermal resources;
- Immediate steps to stop further degradation of waterways;
- A more equitable water allocation system that supports kaitiakitanga (guardianship).
The background to this is the affidavit to the High Court by the then Deputy Prime Minister, Bill English in 2012 that acknowledged Māori rights and interests in freshwater (and geothermal resources), an affidavit that was cemented into place by the 2013 Supreme Court ruling on Māori water rights in light of John Key selling 49% of the hydro energy generating assets.
3 Waters was Labour’s attempt to make that 2012 affidavit and 2013 Supreme Court ruling, it was torpedoed by reactionary right wing astroturf organisations who sold 3 Waters as ‘Māori stealing the water’.
This latest attempt by Māori to seek the redress promised to them by previous Governments over water happens just as this anti-treaty Government strangles off the RMA and looks to revoke Te Mana o te Wai.
Once again, it is Māori who are warning of the environmental degradation of our water (which impacts us all) while demanding what has been promised in terms of their own interests.
Sadly the rest of the mainstream media don’t seem to be interested in the story because it challenges so much of the ‘Māori are stealing the water’ rhetoric.
God forbid they are ever held to account and challenge for the narratives they push.
Green and brown next election people .We need radical change for the betterment of NZ not the continued pandering to overseas corporate masters who give nothing back to the people of NZ .We may be better served if we actually lowered our population and focused on getting a community based society that works for NZ .
Oh but democracy blah blah. The cry from the most undemocratic bunch of wankers this country has seen. It’s a shame NZers as a majority seem to have no f’ing clue. Have the knuckle draggers worked out Māori did way better under National than they ever did Labour. Unfortunately National is overrun with complete dickheads. A separate health authority was purely about actual numbers and need. A public holiday based on a celestial calendar….oh the horror. Numbers are clearly not something supporters of the coalition understand. They just hear bullshit ZB talking points and conclude it must be so.
Why the hatred for Maori by ACT, NZ First and National. Perhaps because ACT works on behalf of Atlas but if they truly are concerned that we should all be considered one people then why aren’t they screaming from the rafters about the below?
https://www.national.org.nz/sig-indonats
Surely this is separatist and racist.