Water, water everywhere

摘要

Unlike many countries, New Zealand is blessed with abundant fresh water. Its temperate climate, regular rainfall over much of the country, and thousands of lakes and rivers ensure a good supply. But who owns these larger bodies of water? The government's answer is, no one: not the state, nor any group or individual. But some of those who have lived in New Zealand longest, the Maori, disagree. The Maori claim a special relationship with New Zealand's fresh water, based on their historical use of its rivers for drinking water, spiritual beliefs, fishing and shellfish harvest, transport and trade, among other things. Their case goes back to 1840, when the British Crown and most of the Maori tribes signed the Waitangi treaty, which first formalised the colonists' settling of the islands. Maori rights were enshrined in the treaty. An interim ruling by the Waitangi tribunal, set up in 1975 to deal with Maori grievances about land and related issues, says that the Maori have freshwater rights "for which full ownership was the closest cultural equivalent in 1840."