Two days ago there were headlines all across the media that a deal was imminent for Ihumatao. The Media party were just repeating the words of an Aussie interloper masquerading as a Maori. There was no verification, no confirmation, just idle speculation.
As the truck driver from Huntly took back his flag the silliness continued. Then finally someone in the media bothered to ask Winston Peters what was going on. The answer shouldn’t fill the squatters with any confidence that a deal is imminent.
Cold water’s being poured on hopes that a settlement is imminent at Ihumatao.
The Maori King’s flag was lowered at the site near Auckland Airport yesterday, sparking suggestions an announcement of a deal could be made by Waitangi Day.
But Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told Mike Hosking that’s not the case.
“What is being said right now by a whole range of people is simply false.
“This is a long-range discussion that will take a long, long time to be completed.”
A Newspaper
Good stuff.
Winston missed a trick, though. He should have suggested that Pania Newton gets in touch with her pakeha side and starts to follow the rule of law.
Media should be asking MPs if there are 61 votes in parliament to make a deal. They may just find out the number in favour falls well short of what is required.
About the only way that this could settled is with a secret backroom deal with Auckland Council for them to settle it while the government funnels cash to the council. Don’t laugh, that is what is seriously being planned.
Winston Peters has said before that there can’t be a settlement over land that has already been settled as part of the Treaty claims process. To undo that deal will just empower uppity protestors and you will see many more squatter situations manifest over time as Maori activists will know that the government will cave in the face of protest.
It is election year this year and there is no mileage in this for Winston to back a deal, and plenty more mileage to tell the squatters to sling their hooks.