11 July 2002 Media Release

Trust Corrects Factual Errors

The Crown Forestry Rental Trust has welcomed New Zealand First leader Winston Peters’ recent interest in its activities, but regrets Mr Peters has made several factual errors in his public references to the Trust.

Trust chief executive Karen Waterreus said the Trust always welcomed political interest in its work, and it was unfortunate that Mr Peters had not sought clarification from the Trust about his misunderstandings before using them in his election campaign material.

“As a result, Mr Peters has been factually incorrect in many of his recent comments about the Trust,” Ms Waterreus said.

The Trust will spend around $13 million - not $2.57 million as claimed by Mr Peters - to assist Māori prepare, present and negotiate Treaty claims which could involve Crown Forestry Land during the coming year.

The amount quoted by Mr Peters related only to direct funding to claimants, Ms Waterreus said. It did not include the cost of the many key services the Trust provided to claimants, such as research, mapping, and pilot projects which assisted claimants to work together to move faster through the Treaty settlement process.

Mr Peters had also been incorrect in describing the Volcanic Interior Plateau (VIP) project as “not a forestry-related settlement, but a set of ill-defined activities….” said Ms Waterreus.

The VIP project was assisting approximately 80 separate claimant groups in the central North Island work together in their pursuit of Treaty settlement, and all of those claims would, or could, involve Crown Forestry Land.

“The VIP project is an exciting pilot programme which will hasten the process of Treaty claims and settlement for a huge number of claimants. The Trust’s support for VIP has been validated by the Waitangi Tribunal’s decision to appoint a Tribunal to commence work on Central North Island claims this year,” she said.

Aside from the VIP claim, hundreds of other groups preparing claims on Crown forestry land, from one end of New Zealand to the other, will receive assistance from the Trust during the coming year to continue to advance resolution of their claims.

“The Trust does not simply disburse money subjectively and at will. It applies transparent and rigorous criteria in fulfilling its role in the Treaty settlement process, as set out in its Trust Deed - assisting Māori claimant groups prepare, present and negotiate their Treaty claims, if those claims involve, or could involve, Crown Forestry Land,” said Ms Waterreus.

“All this year’s Trust activities and expenditure are explained, in detail, in our recently released Business Plan. The Trust would welcome the opportunity to assist Mr Peters - or any other politician - to understand the document,” she said.