Deference to Maori 'apartheid'

Recognising special Maori values in law is "a form of apartheid" and the Treaty of Waitangi needs to be scrapped, a Canterbury regional councillor says.

Environment Canterbury councillor Pat Harrow, of Christchurch, yesterday unleashed a tirade against what he said was "a bias by a minority of the population against the majority."

Harrow said the specific mention of tangata whenua values in ECan's regional policy statement, as is required by law, was "discrimination".

"This is a form of apartheid.

"I speak for a lot of people out there in the community when I say the Treaty of Waitangi should be consigned to the history books out of law.

"I hope this will happen one day and we'll all be equal under the law."

Harrow sought to include separate recognition of "non-Maori values" in the planning document, but the motion was lost by 10 votes to two. The only other councillor supporting it was Bronwen Murray.

Treaty of Waitangi expert Robert Consedine described Harrow's comments as an "angry rant" made more from ignorance than a thoughtful critique.

"It's the sort of statement made 50 years ago," he said. "It's not a rational comment on the way the law works."

Consedine said a reference to tangata whenua values in a planning document was routine.

Te Tai Tonga MP Rahui Katene said she was not taking Harrow's comment seriously.

"The reality is that he is able to live peacefully in this country because of the Treaty of Waitangi."

Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu chief executive Anake Goodall said Harrow's comments were "unfortunate", but not representative of today's views.

"They're from another time and place," he said. "They don't deserve too much time and attention."

Several ECan councillors tried to talk Harrow around yesterday. Alec Neill said non-Maori values were covered in another section titled "shared and recognised values".

Rik Tindall asked if Harrow could define Maori. It meant normal, so Harrow wanted to recognise "non-normal values".

"It's not clear what that means."

Murray said she objected to Tindall's "insulting" remarks.

The principles of the Treaty of Waitangi were adopted by the Labour government in 1989. They have been used by every government since and have now been incorporated into 40 pieces of legislation.

- © Fairfax NZ News