Saturday, August 02, 2003



Property rights for all - except brown people

According to a story in the Herald today, a third of the foreshore is already in private hands. You'd think that National's rhetoric at Beaches For All about "[legislating] to confirm Crown ownership of beaches foreshore and seabed" and ensuring "equal rights for every New Zealander, regardless of race, to enjoy our coast" would apply to those parts of the foreshore which are already owned, but no. According to the Herald:

National leader Bill English said yesterday that the party knew parts of the foreshore were privately owned and would not seek to expropriate those property rights.

Why not? Because property is sacred, of course - unless it's owned by (or potentially owned by) Maori. So much for "one standard of citizenship for all".

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