Above is the reply from the Hon. Paul Goldsmith to our letter of 21 May about our concerns regarding judicial interpretations of the Marine and Coastal Area Act 2011 that appear to frustrate the intentions of Parliament. It is herewith copied to the seen and unseen recipients of our original letter and it is the same reply that Mary-Louise copied to us yesterday.
The minister tells us that according to some Supreme Court judges, tikanga is now part of our common law, though lawyers know that only Parliament can create law. In July last year Gary Judd KC wrote a blog article on tikanga describing how tikanga could not be law, since it is an oral trove of social customs, unwritten traditions and practices that vary around a country that had no sense of nationhood nor a centralized source of authority to create law.
Separately, I have asked Gary Judd to comment, and we will put searching questions to the minister about the status of tikanga and how that will be reflected in the clarification of Parliament’s original intent. The Coalition are doing us proud, but in the current turmoil it is surely vital that we keep pressure on National to stay true.
Please let me know what you think of this and how we might proceed as soon as possible.
Regards,—
This is unable to be understood – Is it written in maori. Is National the new maori party?
Totally agree Mr Luxon should clearly articulate that democracy doesn’t encompass Tikanga
The legal fraternity need reminding that they are to uphold the law rather than making it up
The Waitangi tribunal has served its purpose and needs to be shut down