Tama Potaka: Minister for Māori Development on the review into the Waitangi Tribunal

Any changes to the Waitangi Tribunal will be introduced before the end of the year.

The Government’s announced a review will kick of mid-year, with any advice to be given to the Government by September.

The Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says it’s timely.

“It runs enquiries according to very, very old legislation ... and the way it conducts itself needs to be modernised,” he said.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Afternoon. The government has announced its review into the way
Tonguey Tribunal will kick off mid year. Advice will be
given to the government by September and any law changes
will be introduced before the end of the year. The
Minister for Marii Development, Tama Portucker, joins us Now, Hey, Tamma.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hey, Jody, hear they haven't heard from you lately.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
I've been on maternity leave.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Oh important, tukey, important reason.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
You're tuned into the news, Tamma, what exactly is this
review going to look into?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
This review timely fifty years since the tribunal was established.
We're going to look into reviewing the act that gives
rise for the tribuneal It's called the Treaty of Whiting
Act nineteen seventy five, the jurisdiction classification of claims, inquiry
practice and a couple of other things.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
Yeah, but what actually is it going to look into?
So what part of what the tribunal is doing is
it looking at.

Speaker 2 (00:46):
Well, give you an example, it runs inquiries according to
very very old legislation nineteen oh eighth legislation in the
way it conduct in South needs to be we think,
you know, modernized. The jurisdiction. It's finishing off the his
historical claims, but it's got a range of contemporary claims
that it looks at and any mardy can take a

(01:06):
claim based on the criteria set out in the Act.
So that's something that needs to be reviewed.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
So do you foresee the White Tangi Tribunal existing beyond
those historical claims once they're all settled?

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Well, when the Waite Tangi Tribunal set up is actually
set up to look at contemporary claims, that's what it
was set up to do. But we want to ensure
that it is reviewed, there's some clarity and the recommendations
about what it continues to do. We're not talking about
the tribunal's existence. We're talking about how it will be
fit for purpose in the future.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Once it's done all the treaty settlements. Right, once that
is all done, what does it do.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Then it actually inquires into claims. The treaty settlements are
negotiated between the Crown and ewgroups, so it doesn't do
the settlements itself. It just inquires into claims.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Are you going to look at what it's doing in
terms of government policy? Like the Treaty Principal's bell and
all of that stuff.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Well, we're looking at the function of the Tribunal and
other matters will be left up to the Technical Advisory
Group to take a look at and response, use and
recommend to Cabinet. We will make decisions and go to Parliament.
Parliament has the final say.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
Do you, I mean, some of your coalition partners obviously
have some concerns about the way that the Tribunal conducts itself,
involving itself in politics.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Very strong views.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
Do you have any concerns?

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Well, I think that we've got to make sure it's
fit for purpose and that it's effective. We're seeing the
Tribunal has become very very busy, and sometimes that affects
other things like the Mighty Land Court judges are also
on the Tribunal, so when it is ensconced in tribunal work,
a lot of the Mardi landwork court work sort of
falls behind as well. So in terms of the resource
and whatnot. There are some issues there, but we want

(02:44):
to make sure that it continues but in a very clear,
coherent and transparent way about what it's looking at and
how it's conducting itself. As I said, this is not
about legacy. This is about function.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Okay, Tomma, thanks very much, appreciate it. Tum A paultuck
In the Minister for Martyi vegupment.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
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