Assignment2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Assignment2 - Essay Example Glossary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..13 Images Image 1: The Waikato River System†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 Image 2: The Waikato River passing through Hamilton City†¦..5 Abstract The government of New Zealand has made it known that it intends to sell Mighty River Power together with some other assets; Mighty River Power is the sole proprietor of the Waikato River Hydro scheme which makes use of waters of the Waikato river water to generate hydroelectric power. A number of Maori organizations have indicated that they are against the sale because they believe they should have a say on the usage of the waters of river Waikato, and through the sale they will not be able to put this claim to the test. This issue has resulted in a nationwide debate regarding the ownership of the river’s waters, and is therefore worth discussing an d writing about. The Treaty of Waitangi, an agreement between the Maori tribes of New Zealand and the Britain’s colonial government, was signed in 1840 after much deliberation by the Queen and a growing concern for the welfare of New Zealand’s indigenous peoples (Orange 1987, pg.32). The Resource Management Act (RMA) was an act of parliament that was passed in 1991 for the primary purpose of stipulating how New Zealand’s natural resources should be managed, and the principles of the Treaty are regarded as the guiding framework of the Treaty of Waitangi. ... At the end of this report, this question should be solved and more clarity should be achieved with regards to this issue. 1. Introduction The Treaty of Waitangi is often viewed as the founding document of the country that is now known as New Zealand (Calman 2003, pg.30). Since its signing in 1840, it has played a very influential role in shaping the country, how its resources are managed and its relation to its indigenous peoples (in this case the Maori). Over years, there have been disagreements between the New Zealand government over the management of resources that the Maori people consider â€Å"theirs†. Most recently, the Crown’s intention to sell Mighty River Power has drawn criticism, outrage and uproar from various groups representing the Maori people. The purpose of this report is to discuss, examine and evaluate the Treaty, the RMA and the principles and to come up with a sensible and practical conclusion on the issue at hand. These three aspects are very impo rtant to the final outcome since they explain where all this is coming from and how it can be resolved. The significance of this report is that it will finally decide how to move forward in this whole conundrum; it will look at both parties’ claims and address them in a sound manner and finally put the matter to bed. This report will cover events and aspects dating from 1840 to the current and most recent controversy pitting the government of New Zealand and the Maori people. As a result, whatever conclusion is reached will be arrived at after a lot of factors are studied and examined exhaustively. Limitations to this study might be that so many changes have occurred since 1840, and yet everything in between must be looked into; the