Government confident it can develop Crown land for housing, Key says

The government is confident it can develop Crown land for housing without first offering it to Maori under right of refusal clauses in Treaty of Waitangi settlements, Prime Minister John Key says.

Legal advice so far and precedents set in Christchurch involving a similar claim by the South Island iwi, Ngai Tahu, make the government confident it is permitted to redevelop Crown land for a new use, he said.

Key also questioned the ability of Ngati Whatua, an Auckland-based iwi, to mount a right of first refusal claim, saying the tribe had no such clause in its Treaty settlement and that any such rights were tied up with its involvement in a wider group, the Tamaki Collective.

Ngati Whatua and Waikato-Tainui iwi yesterday sought a joint approach with the government to the High Court for a declaration as to whether a right of first refusal should have been invoked when Building and Housing Minister Nick Smith announced in the Budget plans to put tracts of unused Crown land in Auckland up for use for affordable housing.

"Both iwi will actively support the Crown in its important goal to ensure that Kiwi families can access decent, affordable housing and look forward to exploring opportunities," they said in a joint statement. "At the same time, the iwi believe it would be valuable to seek clarification ... with respect to the right of first refusal to surplus Crown land in Auckland."

However, while the government was considering whether to designate a particular piece of land for redevelopment to allow such an action to be mounted, Mr Key was "very confident of our position."

Mr Key told his weekly post-cabinet press conference the government "always has the right to use the land for another purpose."

(BusinessDesk)

Pattrick Smellie
Mon, 15 Jun 2015

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Government confident it can develop Crown land for housing, Key says