Frosty, the opening post was a direct cut and paste from the nation's number one broadcaster. If you believe that to be scaremongering then contact TVNZ, their address is widely available on the Internet.

The idea of a gold coin donation or koha came from a television one news broadcast, the gentleman who was interviewed was part of the iwi who now have control over the beaches. I can't quote him verbatim but he said these are just a few of the ideas they will be discussing. I don't believe he was scaremongering, I believe he was simply airing his views on what could happen.

All the posts I made on this thread are factual, they are reports of what has happened when Maori have been granted settlement over historical treaty issues. Sorry but that isn't scaremongering either.

With regard to the fragile economy I have already mentioned as much in an earlier post and strangely that is one reason why I believe something will happen, not why it won't. There are similar areas in New Zealand where Maori have difficulty in sustaining a reasonable standard of living: Murupara, Reporoa and Tokeroa to name a few. Treaty settlements are designed in principal to help support the areas to become more self sufficient. Oddly, that isn't scaremongering either.

I mentioned there are precedents, I happily quote you one where this exact same idea was floated and then put into action. Lake Taupo has its own fishing licence, part of the fishery is the Tauranga Taupo River. Local iwi put a charge on the access road through the old quarry, exactly the same as those being considered in the far north. Their reasoning was exactly the same, you have to cross Maori land to gain access to the middle reaches of the river. That isn't scaremongering either, it is fact. I haven't fished Taupo for a very long time, so whether that charge is still in place I am not sure. At the time the Taupo iwi were also given fifty percent of the revenue gained from Taupo licence sales, this payment was to compensate for anglers crossing Maori land.

I won't put my slant on the following, this is cut and pasted directly from the regulations.

Permit to enter Lake Rotoaira. Issued pursuant to Part 1 of the Maori Purposes Act 1959 (as amended by sections 9 and 10 of the Maori Purposes Act 1977) and the Rotoaira Trout Fishing Regulations 1979.
The holder of this entry permit [full name] of [full address, occupation] is hereby authorised to enter in and upon Lake Rotoaira from [date] to [date] (both days inclusive) or on [date] for the purposes of [specify].

Frosty, does that not read remarkably similar to what has been floated on the news this week? The charge may not be for using the beach, it will most likely be for gaining access, a totally different ball game.

I will not lower my post into personal attacks on you, I have however done my best to answer your many perceived faults with the topic. I will add I have no issue with Kelvin Davis, he has been a member of parliament for about six weeks, accordingly he has yet to show his mettle. Yes he is free to voice his opinion in parliament right up until voting time. At that juncture he will vote as the whips instruct him or he can cross the floor and vote against his own party. I only know of one such occasion when this has happened, I believe by Marilyn Waring, and it helped bring down the Muldoon government. Her threat was enough for the PM to call a snap election which he promptly lost to David Lange.