Goff hits out at Foreshore and Seabed Act repeal, ETS

Relevant offers

Politics

Fay aims shot at OIO over Crafar ACC levies may climb again Global economy may hit Budget Fay group would meet Chinese undertakings Trevor Mallard: I'm no ticket scalper Govt says asset sales will cut debt Greens: Crafar approval politically motivated Banks named as new ACT leader China 'will see Crafar ruling as racist' Govt may sell smaller slice of SOEs

LATEST: National and the Maori Party have rejected Labour leader Phil Goff's accusation that the Government has reopened racial wounds.

In a speech about nationhood at a Grey Power-hosted public meeting in Palmerston North today, Mr Goff said the country could celebrate its rich heritage or re-open wounds and divisions.

"We can choose our future based on principle and with the interests of all New Zealanders," he said.

"Or we can have a country where one New Zealander is turned against another, Maori against Pakeha, in a way that Labour strongly rejects."

Senior cabinet minister Gerry Brownlee told reporters Mr Goff's speech was "a masterpiece of confusion and hypocrisy".

"I think he's decided there are several parades in town and he's going to wave a flag at each of them and see whether anyone notices."

Maori Party leader Pita Sharples said Mr Goff's comments were "a very desperate move...let's hope he doesn't stir up something when there's nothing there".

Labour has previously acknowledged it made errors in its law, including ruling out giving Maori customary title over parts of the foreshore and seabed.

But in his speech Mr Goff said the current law was working well and the issue was being reopened "for politics, and not for principle". But he denied he was playing the race card.

"It's hard to see why the country should be put through all the grief just to put a new brand on law that's working. Or it might be more than that, in which case the Government should tell us," he said.

He said access to the beach was a "birthright" for Maori and Pakeha, though traditional Maori rights and usages should also be respected and iwi should be consulted before development occurs.

Labour's processes could have been better, but National in 2003 had used the foreshore and seabed issue to whip up fears with a "Save our Beaches" website.

But now it was trying to erase that part of its history.

EMISSIONS LAW DEAL SLAMMED

Mr Goff also ramped up his attack on the deals between National and the Maori Party over the emissions trading law, warning that they could set back race relations.

However, he denied he is playing the race card.

"Race is a red herring in this deal. It's about subsidies for big corporations, and I am not going to shy away from saying so."

The deal gives some iwi rights to "farm" carbon credits from forests planted on public land, as compensation for the lost value of treaty settlements. But the new ETS is also seen as favouring big business polluters at the expense of taxpayers - an issue which has sparked dissent in Maori Party ranks.

Mr Goff describes Prime Minister John Key's deal with the Maori Party as "cynical", "shabby and short term" by manipulating the treaty settlement process in a way that could damage the settlement process and also attacks him for not condemning Maori MP Hone Harawira strongly enough over his abusive comments.

"We can choose our future based on principle and with the interests of all New Zealanders at heart. Or we can have a country where one New Zealander is turned against another, Maori against Pakeha, in a way that Labour strongly rejects."

He also criticises Mr Harawira for his comments describing Pakeha as "white motherf...ers", saying his offence was criticising one racial group to justify his side trip to Paris at the taxpayers' expense.

"Nearly everyone who spoke to me about this episode mentioned their unease that this controversy takes race relations backwards."

- © Fairfax NZ News