A petition opposing the Government’s proposed reforms to the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act has been delivered to Parliament, backed by 20,000 signatures gathered in just two days.
The petition, created by Hone Harawira and hand-delivered by long-time activist and marcher Rueben Taipari, calls on the Government to abandon its plans to amend the Act, reforms that legal experts, iwi leaders and Māori claimants say would strip away Māori customary rights and undermine constitutional and environmental protections.
The reforms would reverse a series of recent court decisions that strengthened Māori rights under the existing law, particularly the Supreme Court’s landmark 2024 ruling that affirmed tikanga Māori must be central in deciding customary marine title claims.
That decision recognised that “exclusive use” under the law could not be confined to physical occupation in the Pākehā legal sense, but instead should reflect Māori customary practices, connection, and stewardship, meaning iwi and hapū could still hold customary marine title even where the public had shared use of the area.
The Supreme Court also held that customary rights could not be dismissed due to minor or temporary interruptions, and that claims must be assessed holistically through a tikanga Māori lens.
The decision effectively strengthened the position of Māori claimants, a move the Government now seeks to undo.
Under the proposed changes, the test for customary marine title would be made significantly stricter, requiring claimants to prove uninterrupted and exclusive use and occupation of the coastal area since 1840.
The bill would also apply retrospectively, meaning court decisions already made after July 2024 could be reopened or overturned.
The Government says the bill is intended to restore the “original intent” of the 2011 legislation, but many have called it an attack on the Supreme Court, on tikanga, and on the rights guaranteed to Māori under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Petition calls for complete halt
The petition is asking the government immediately halt all progress on the amendments to the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act, to uphold its constitutional duty to protect Māori customary interests in the marine and coastal environment and to undergo full and genuine consultation with tangata whenua, be required in all legislative changes affecting Māori rights in the marine and coastal environment.
The petition also argues the amendments will override Treaty principles that protect the integrity of all Treaty-based mechanisms, undermine Treaty articles on protection and partnership, deprive all whānau, hapū and iwi of their legal rights to the marine and coastal environment
It also says it will strip Māori of the kaitiaki status required to safeguard marine and coastal ecosystems from environmentally hazardous development and require a level of control over coastal areas that is incompatible with tikanga Māori and impossible to achieve due to the historical disruption through colonisation.
Speaking on the steps of Parliament, Taipari said Māori were again being forced to defend their rights to the foreshore and seabed.
“Koretake tēnei hīkoi ki te haere mai ia tau, ia tau ki te whakamārama tēnei pāremata, tēnei whare, te mana motuhake o tātou te iwi Māori,” he said.
“He kaitiaki tātou o te whenua, he kaitiaki o tātou o te moana. He raupatu tēnei kaupapa te ture kei roto i te whare e whakahē tō tātou mana ki te haere ki te kōti teitei. Engari e takahia te mana o tātou te iwi Māori, te iwi kāinga te raruraru.”
Taipari said Māori across the motu were organising community hui to prepare for what they see as another attempt to diminish Māori rights.
“People have gone back to their communities, and they’re creating hui to discuss how they’re going to defend themselves again. We put all of those communities, we put all of that kōrero together, and i reira te mana motuhake, te kotahitanga o tātou te iwi,” he said.
“We are tangata whenua and we deserve to be a part of this kōrero.”
Green Party MP Huhana Lyndon, who received the petition, said the sheer number of signatures showed the depth of opposition to the proposed law.
“Kia kite i te kāwanatanga i te rahi o te tautoko mō ngā mana takutai moana a te iwi Māori. Kei konā te rahi o te tautoko mō te iwi Māori me te mana takutai moana.”
Lyndon said the Government had turned its back on the cries of Māori, and the delivery of the petition today showed the importance of how the left must work together to defend Māori rights.
“I’m heartened by the unity that we continue to demonstrate,” she said.
“We have coordinated ourselves because of the tautoko of our iwi and of our community on issues like the MACA Takutai Moana. Today was another demonstration of tū kotahi.”
Labour MP Willie Jackson, who was also in attendance, praised Taipari’s leadership and said Māori needed to stay focused on the bigger picture.
“Reuben’s been around a long time, him and his wahine, they push Māori rights in the north. He’s a bit of an unsung hero,” Jackson said.
“The attack on Māori is happening every day. So the more we focus on Te Pāti Māori and what they’re doing, the more we’re taking our eye off the ball. I think our people want us to work together like this, and this was good today, all of us having a bit of a kōrero to tautoko the kaupapa.” Jackson said signalling what a cohesive left could look like going into next year election.
Minister ploughing through regardless
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, who is responsible for the legislation, said despite the public backlash, the Government would not halt the reforms.
“We’ve made our commitments clear to change that because we want to get the balance right between the natural desires of all New Zealanders to have an input in what goes on in the coastal space, but also preserving the ability to attain customary marine title,” Goldsmith said.
When asked about the significance of nearly 20,000 signatures gathered in two days, he replied;
“Yes, look, people are very entitled to bring their petitions through, and we’ll look at it, but we’re determined to carry on with our legislation.”
The Government is aiming to have the third reading next week, but opponents and those delivering the petition today say their fight is far from over, warning that overturning court decisions risks deepening division and reigniting one of the most bitter political battles in modern New Zealand history.
*The petition, when delivered to Parliament on Thursday morning, was 19,598; however, the online petition exceeded 20,000 before it closed and will be the entirety of signatures when tabled in the House
