Prime Minister John Key has admitted that National won't achieve its 2008 election promise to settle all Treaty of Waitangi claims by 2014.
Instead, the Government has quietly pushed that out to 2017.
But Mr Key says they are doing much better than Labour, which he claims would have taken 40 years to get it done.
"We're not going to make it in 2014," says Mr Key. "We basically argued the case it was a goal. We're going to get very close, but my guess is it will probably take to 2017 to finish everything off."
But in admitting that, the Government's attacking Labour, saying during its nine years in office, it made 15 treaty settlements. In National's five years, it's done 41.
"For whatever reason, there wasn't a lot done in the nine years under Labour," says Chris Finlayson, Minister for Treaty Negotiations.
"We have to remind National that they've completed a number of settlements that Labour started negotiations in," says Labour's Nanaia Mahuta.
It's estimated there are around 58 more settlements to be reached, and negotiations with many are underway.
Mr Key says it would cost taxpayers more if it kept to the 2014 target.
"If you're settling because you've got your arm up your back, you're actually spending a lot more money than is prudent to do so," he says.
"The completion of historical treaty settlements is absolutely necessary," says Ms Mahuta.
"There are a couple of people who don't want to settle – fair enough, you can't force them," says Mr Finlayson.
The total spent on treaty settlements is now around $1.5 billion. Anything over $1 billion means two iwi – Tainui and Ngai Tahu, who were first to settle around 15 years ago – now get a top-up under a relativity clause.
But the Government disagrees with them on how much is owed, and the matter is now being looked into by a former Supreme Court judge.
3 News
source: newshub archive
