The Foreshore and Seabed Legislation Part 2, has taken a turn that will disadvantage Maori who have always owned land next to the sea, but not other land owners.
At the ACT Party’s behest, the National Government has agreed to write a clause into the foreshore and seabed bill now before Parliament that will expressly make it unlawful to charge for access to a beach. I need to clarify that – it will make it unlawful for Maori to charge access to a beach, but all private landowners, are exempt. That simply isn’t fair.
I think of my Ngati Rehia relations out Takou Bay (north of Kerikeri) way who have always had ownership of the land adjacent to the beach. I remember in the 1970′s going for Sunday excursions and having to put a koha in a jar next to a gate before heading across Maori land to get to the beach, and fair enough – why should we just be able to just drive over someone else’s property willy nilly and not expect to pay? If I recall properly the sign said the koha was to maintain the private track down to the beach so that cars like our old Holden Belmont could get up and down the hill without any problem.
I also remember how we could head down to the beach at the old Jack and Jill Motorcamp on the way out to Rawhiti in the eastern Bay of Islands. One day we couldn’t because some really rich dude had bought the land up, built a big fence, beautiful gates and subsequently three large mansions on the property (I’m told one for himself, one for visitors and the third for his grandkids so they could party up without disturbing him back in mansion number one).
For decades New Zealanders had made the Jack and Jill Motorcamp and the adjacent beach their summer playland, and now it is no more.
Guess what? The government’s racist legislation means while my Ngati Rehia whanaunga will now be banned from putting out their koha jar at the gate, this multi millionaire at Jack’s Bay is exempt. If he was made to open his flash gate and allow me to cross over his land to walk down to the Foreshore and Seabed with my sunblock, beach towel and pipi kit, he could charge what he liked.
The Foreshore and Seabed Part 2, aka Marine and Coastal Area Bill, agreed to by the National, Maori and ACT Parties, creates a law that shafts Maori but looks after everyone else.