Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Parliamentarian Shane Jones considers Marlborough’s eight tribes could benefit from working together to realize the full potential of settlements they are negotiating with the Crown.

Together they will be strong, he says.
The tribes can increase their economic empowerment by coming together says Shane Jones, a Labour MP, former Immigration minister and former chairman of the Maori Fisheries Commission, Te Oku Kaimoana, a Harvard graduate.

He talked of critical mass thinking in this, one of a series of interviews for the Talking business column, on the outlook for Maori economic development for the eight local tribes likely to end up with several hundred million dollars from settlements with the Crown. Mr Jones was not part of the Crown’s negotiating team when Dr Cullen was Treaty Negotiations Minister with the Marlborough Tribes last year.

But Mr Jones welcomed the coming together of the tribes coming together in the settlement negotiations. Tainui, Taranaki and local Marlborough tribes overlap, which caused some frustrations. By working together they can achieve a great deal, he says. When he was in the chair of Te Oku Kaimoana, traditional resources meant separate approaches. But economic development leads to critical mass, he says, speculating on the future.

Fishing and aquaculture, wine and tourism industries are Marlborough industries with potential for Maori and their partners. All need critical mass to give prospects of better return.

Maori will need appropriate investment capital in such industries. They will need to decide what to attract, debt or investment capital, to build on what they will have.

Whakatu is a significant aquaculture player.
Consider the 20% allocation of aquaculture space.

What are the eight tribes to do with the space and capital they may receive from settlements with the Crown?
Should they lease out space for rental income?
Should they invest in marine farming?
Should they invest in harvesting, and processing?
Should they replace the approach used by Tohu Wines, and brand mussels in a variety of forms to middlemen?

Shane Jones affirms the value of mussels as a viable business, even though others are raising questions. He asks how sustainable current mussel farming practices are – but does not know the answer. He thinks there are opportunities to be considered further in farming species such as blue cod, and salmon in the Pelorus, and in the wider areas where the eight tribes could operate, snapper, groper and Hapuka. Hapuka – known also as Blue nose -  need warmth, food and depth to grow, he says.

The eight tribes range from the Wanganui inlet to Blenheim.  Shane Jones encourages them to focus beyond their ancestral rights area.

Sustainable development is a path for Maori, Pacific Islands people and their neighbours in Marlborough.
Inquiries in Parliament, amongst and around some of the crop of most impressive Maori Parliamentarians in this generation, identifies issues and people to consider when anticipating post treaty settlement for the three groups of tribes negotiating settlement with the Crown.

Individual tribes have sought settlements, and when they receive the capital that should come from them, they may want to develop investment strategies, business structures and foster policies that cut across tribal lines.

Settlement capital could end up in more property, in meeting pressing social and educational needs, and in developmental options in aquaculture, tourism and other sectors.

There are people in Marlborough, such as John and Hillary Mitchell, who have acted on, researched and communicated on issues affecting Maori in Marlborough – and which have wider implications. John Mitchell is a former member of the Fisheries Commission.

Several ministerial advisers at Parliament recall that it was the interactions between Ngati Tama and the Marlborough District Council that led to the divisive Seabed and Foreshore Act. Ngati Tama, however, these advisers contend, wont necessarily gain from the repeal of that Act some supporters of the Maori Party would like to see come from discussions National Party Prime Minister has agreed should be held. Some tribes evidence continuous customary use of parts of the foreshore and seabed – but not all tribes of the Marlborough Sounds have had continuous use, and might not succeed if they had their day in court. And there are around 12,000 fee simple properties in Marlborough that would complicate Maori claims.

The contemporary reality that eight tribes have clear interest in the Sounds is a reminder that historically local waterways mattered to people of the canoe, for food, shelter and their heritage.

It was their interest in use of part of the waters of the Sounds for mussel farming that influenced Ngati Tama’s conflict with the Marlborough District Council, and a series of legal and political challenges, political party realignments and laws and administration that disrupted the growth of aquaculture. Central government has yet to complete its negotiations with tribal claimants, and to revise law and administration so aquaculture and other potentially valuable Marlborough industries can develop sustainably.

The Maori of Marlborough enter their post settlement era with some significant business structures in the sustainable development stakes. This leads advisers at Parliament to suggest discussion about Marlborough economic development with Robin Hapi, in Aotearoa Fisheries, Peter Douglas, Te Oku Kaimoana. Shane Jones is a former chair Te Oku Kaimoana as well as executives at Sealord, in which Aotearoa Fisheries is a major investor. Members of Morgan and of Barclay families were also mentioned, in particular Paul Morgan, in the Whakatu Incorporation, a food business with top of the South wine and other interests.

The mussel business, a sunrise industry, now attracts comment that it is not a sure fire profitable future industry. But other fish species which might find the waters of the Sounds warm enough offer options. The fishing, marine farming and whale watching competencies built by Maori in Marlborough and other parts of the South are also applicable in other parts of New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.

There are clearly other options and strategies the people concerned may want to explore, once they get used to the assets they gain from settlements, and their changing fortunes.

By Anthony Haas,  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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