The expected decision

The waitangi Tribunal has recommended that the government's asset sales programme be halted until the question of water rights has been resolved:

It said selling shares in state assets before the Tribunal delivered its full findings could "cause a significant disadvantage to [Maori] claimants" if their claims were subsequently found to be well-founded.

As a result, it said the status quo should be maintained and the Crown should not proceed with asset sales until the Tribunal had completed its report into the issue, expected in September.

Given past precedent on asset sales and alienation of redress, this is the expected decision. The question now is whether the government will listen, or whether it will risk a court injunction and a fight with its coalition partner by ignoring it.