18 Apr 2011

Iwi veto wanted on offshore exploration

8:59 am on 18 April 2011

Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell is drafting a private members bill that would give iwi a veto on offshore oil exploration and development.

The Waiariki MP says the bill is a response to the Government's lack of consultation with Te Whanau a Apanaui and Ngati Porou before it allowed the Brazilian oil giant, Petrobras, to prospect in the Raukumara Basin of the East Cape.

He told Waatea News that the bill would make iwi part of a joint management committee overseeing any exploration in a region and would require tangata whenua to be consulted.

However, Mr Flavell said he has not talked with the Government about whether it would support the bill if it was drawn from the ballot.