Here is an excellent article from Moana Maniapoto on e-tangata on the current state of play in negotiations and the Waitangi Tribunal claim.
Tim says he won’t back a deal that doesn’t significantly open dairy markets, but he’s confident negotiations will eventually find the “sweet spot” on dairy. The Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand commended him for standing firm. Andrew Hoggard, the Federated Farmers dairy industry chairman, described the deal as looking “disastrous” for New Zealand – which is fascinating, given that the farmers are New Zealand’s justification for flogging off nearly everything else we have in the cupboard.
People from all walks of life, not just Māori, are up in arms about much more than just a stink deal for dairy. Two muso mates of mine dropped in to watch the rugby the other night. They opened up a conversation about the lack of transparency, loss of democratic rights and sovereignty. You have to wonder at the arrogance of a government, mid-cycle to the 2017 elections, calculating that we, the voters, will forget.
Check out the whole article here.
