The Coastal Coalition - Muriel Newman's collection of cranks rejected by ACT - has launched a petition for a referendum on the foreshore. Unlike previous citizen's initiated referendum campaigns - for example, that in favour of child beating - the question isn't loaded. Instead, its a straight
Should the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011 be replaced by legislation that restores Crown ownership of the foreshore and seabed?They now have a year to get the signatures of 10% of eligible voters, roughly 350,000. If they get them, then we're looking at a postal referendum on the issue sometime in 2013 (which the government will then ignore in order to avoid further breaching the Treaty of Waitangi).
The Gazette notice is here.
