Shane Jones

Whakatane, May 12 NZPA - The Government's relationship with the Maori Party has taken a severe beating by the prime minister blocking a Treaty deal giving Te Urewera National Park to Tuhoi, Labour MP Shane Jones says.

Tuhoe representatives believed they had the numbers in Cabinet to secure ownership of the park but say a nervous prime minister acting unilaterally stood in the way.

Prime Minister John Key announced on Monday that ownership of the park wasn't on the table in the treaty negotiations, despite the Maori Party and those in the Tuhoe camp believing the deal was virtually sealed, and having already planned a hui to celebrate.

Mr Key said such a deal was outside the scope of settlements and would be "a very unusual" step for the Government to take.

The move angered the Maori Party and co-leader Tariana Turia said the Government had not acted honourably.

Yesterday Mr Key said when he talked to Mrs Turia on Sunday about the decision she was "totally fine, look she understands the challenges, disappointed, but understands the challenges".

She disagreed that she was fine about it.

Today Mr Jones told NZPA that Tuhoe would not think there was a draft deal unless there was one. A spokesman for Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson would not confirm a draft agreement had been reached. "The minister doesn't comment on negotiations while they are in progress."

Mr Jones said Mr Key had damped down concerns at a National Party conference at the weekend over policy gains for Maori and he could not then on Monday tell Cabinet a major national park was being handed over.

"I think basically what happened was he created a straw man and then he decided to knock it down by telling Tuhoe they can't have it," he said.

"There's obviously been a mishandling in terms of the expectations and I think that Key has read too much into the relationship that he's got with the Maori Party because, at the end of the day, if these large iwis turn against the Maori Party then they are going to lose seats. Their power base is more in the iwi-centric Maori than the garden variety Maori."

Chief Tuhoe negotiator Tamati Kruger said today he understood a majority of Cabinet supported returning the 212,000-hectare national park to Tuhoe.

He also believed Mr Key had "intervened" at the end of an 18-month negotiation process based on worries expressed at last weekend's National Party regional meeting in Masterton, where concerns were raised that the Government was making too many concessions to Maori.

Mr Jones said the Government had "very much shafted" Tuhoe.

"It kind of lays down a template for whatever changes are going to be made to the foreshore and seabed, which I don't think are going to be significant at all.

Labour's preference in Government had been to reach co-management relationships with iwi in Treaty settlements.

Mr Kruger said Mr Key acted unilaterally to "preserve something else, and I'm guessing that's National Party popularity".

The move had "taken away the solution to the prejudice and injustice that Tuhoe continue to suffer".

Mr Kruger said many Tuhoe people had contacted him to voice disquiet over the development and their moods ranged from "disappointed to angry".

"It's taken 18 months for this Government to tell Tuhoe that Te Urewera should never have been talked about and that's not good faith bargaining."

Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell said Te Urewera had been Tuhoe's homeland for hundreds of years before the concept of title ownership existed in New Zealand and he was also unimpressed with the process, saying making an announcement about what was on or off the table while negotiations were in progress was unheard of.

Mr Key yesterday said he disagreed that an agreement had been reached and said he had communicated clearly all along. No further comment was made today in response to NZPA calls.

Mr Finlayson's spokesman said the Government looked forward to a "positive and constructive engagement with Tuhoe".

Asked if the Department of Conservation had been kept in the loop about the draft agreement a spokesman said it would offer advice on Treaty negotiations but would not comment on the particular case.

"We're an advisory support role... It's a confidential negotiation."