Waitara Land bill postponed until next year

After already facing a number of delays a ‘‘complex piece of legislation’’ has been shelved once again.

The New Plymouth District Council (Waitara Land) Bill passed its second reading in Parliament in August and is now in the committee stage which would see the bill considered by the whole house.

The bill was scheduled for discussion last Wednesday, the first members’ day and first general debate of the new Parliament, but was postponed until further notice.

New Plymouth MP Jonathan Young said they ‘‘weren’t quite ready’’ and it would now likely be tabled in February.

The affected hapu¯ required more time to revise the proposed bill, he said. ‘‘Right now they are just formulating... they’re making the final amendments, which I don’t think are significant but they are important. ‘‘But I’m yet to see those.’’ The bill was intended to settle enduring issues around plots of land confiscated from Taranaki Ma¯ ori more than 150 years ago.

The land the bill relates to was originally confiscated from Te A¯ tiawa and its two hapu¯ , Otaraua and Manukorihi, in the 1860s by the Crown. If passed, it would allow Waitara residents to buy the land they live on - proposing 780 leasehold properties become freehold, with 60 hectares of land to be given back to Te A¯ tiawa.

The landmark bill, introduced to Parliament in September last year, has already weathered a number of delays.

After its first reading it was referred to the Ma¯ ori Affairs Select Committee which stalled three times on presenting a report giving the recommendations on whether it should be passed.

In August, the committee presented the report endorsing the bill, with changes.

‘‘It’s one of the most complex pieces of legislation to come before Parliament in the last decade,’’ Young said.

‘‘It’s really important for us to get everything as right as possible.’’ Following the committee stage, the next step in the process was the third reading.