Maori call for special ombudsman

Press, 5 June 1978, Page 2

Maori call for special ombudsman

PA Wellington A special ombudsman should be appointed to examine Maori land grievances, said the member of Parliament for Southern Maori (Mrs Whetu Tirika-

In an address to the annual conference of the New Zealand Maori Writers and Artists Society at Takupuwahia marae, Porirua, Mrs Tirikatene-Sullivan said that a new mechanism must be found to solve “festering land issues” such as Bastion Point.

She condemned the Government’s “rodeo-style” round up of about 200 protesters at Bastion Point. “The dignity and immense moral strength of the Maori people keeping that vigil, and their non-violent stand, prevented what could have become a bloodbath,” she said.’

A good case now existe.d for an ombudsman to examine Maori land matters. The Ombudsman’s office, in spite of inadequate staff, was one of the most efficient. Its experience, structures, and working were ideally suited to investigating Maori land griev* ances.

It should also have jurisdiction over the decisions of the Maori Trustee. Mrs Tirikatene-Sullivan urged Maori writers and artists to inspire their young people, and reflect an image that was “serene and without inferiority.” The conference, attended by about 200 members of the society, centres on a series of workshops to promote Maori arts.