Access never denied
The government is commended for including in the 2019 budget funding for suicide prevention, specifically $40 million for Ma¯ ori and Pasifika suicide prevention, more suicide prevention services in district health boards, bereavement counselling and a review of the coroners’ data-sharing service.
Free counselling for up to 2500 people is to be provided (four sessions per person) for those who have lost a loved one to suicide. The Ministry of Health is finalising a draft national suicide prevention strategy under urgency. Is the government proposing to provide government-funded counselling to the loved ones of those who might receive government-approved and -funded assisted suicide if the EOLC is passed?
The government’s Suicide Prevention Strategy 2017 defines suicide as “a death where evidence shows that the person deliberately brought about their own death.” The strategy does not seek to define suicide as a rational or irrational act. All suicide is irrational.
The He Aranga report recommended that the government set a target for the suicide prevention strategy to reduce the suicide rate by 20 per cent by 2030. The Minister of Health, Dr David Clark, stated, “We’re not prepared to sign up to a suicide target because every life matters, and one death by suicide is one too many … this government is committed to tackling our terrible record on suicide.”
The Prime Minister is commended for stating, “We were very wary of sending any message, particularly to bereaved families, that there was a tolerance for suicide in New Zealand. Every single life matters, and it’s important for us to send that message.” The government is going to set up an office of suicide prevention. If this Bill, supported by the Prime Minister, is passed, it will set up a Euthanasia Review Committee to review the lawfulness of assisted suicides. Is this not contradictory to the purpose of the suicide prevention strategy?
How can the government on one hand say they are going to invest $40 million on a suicide prevention strategy to reduce suicide in New Zealand, while on the other hand invest in providing doctorassisted suicide? This would be the The Ngakahu Ngakohu Wha¯ nau Ahu Whenua Trust filed an application for determination re the status of the pipeline easement also being a right of way easement in January 2018. The matter was heard on May 24, 2018, in the Ma¯ ori Land Court at Kaitaia, where an oral decision was made by the court.
On September 24, 2018, the Far North District Council served a Notice of Desire on the trust. The trust then obtained both historic and current title searches, which uncovered the 1987 Gazette Notice which removed the rights to use the pipeline easement as a right of way easement, and this is what was heard in the Ma¯ ori Land Court on April 26, 2019.
The Far North District Council still has legal access to the dam, which is an entirely different route than was used from 1934 until the illegal access was constructed in 2000-2002. The legal access is pretty much in place today, and just needs metal applied and reforming in certain parts to ensure it's on the legal easement.
Council only stopped using the access because they didn't want to repair an area of erosion, as stated in a letter dated 1998.The Ngakahu Trust notes that the trust and NRC contributed also to this erosion repair, along with the FNDC, which was created by FNDC failure to maintain the river in accordance with their resource consent.
The trust has never denied council access over their legal easement, even though the dam is only used for around 10 days of every year. Neither the Ngakahu Trust nor the owners have ever denied the good people of Kaitaia water from the dam, even though it’s of no value to anyone in the summer months.
It was the Far North District Council