Update, 15 September 2010: the first reading of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill, delayed because the Co-Leaders of the Maori Party were overseas last week, took place today. The Hansard record of the debate is available here as an html page and here as a pdf document, from pages 31 to 56 (pages numbered 13997 to 14022 in the document).

The Bill has been referred to the Maori Affairs Select Committee, which is to report back to parliament by 25 February 2011. Information about the submissions process is available here.

6 September 2010

The Foreshore and Seabed Act replacement legislation, the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill, was introduced in parliament this afternoon. The Attorney General's media release and FAQ about the Bill is available here. Although the Attorney General states that - "This Bill, unlike the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 which it replaces, treats all New Zealanders including Maori without discrimination and recognises that we all have legitimate and longstanding interests in this part of our heritage" - at first glance, it looks as though this Bill does in fact discriminate against Maori in a similar fashion to its predecessor.

The first reading of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill is scheduled for Thursday, 9 September. The html version of the Bill is available here and the pdf version is available here.

Updates and commentary on the legislation will be available on the Foreshore and Seabed Review and Repeal page soon.