Coastal Coalition facts for kids

The Coastal Coalition is a political group in New Zealand. This group was formed to protect coastal and ocean areas from being taken out of the government's ownership. They wanted to stop these areas from coming under the control of local Māori people.

What is the Coastal Coalition?

The Coastal Coalition is a group that works in politics in New Zealand. They are against the idea of removing coastal land and sea areas from being owned by the government, also known as the Crown.

Why was the group formed?

The group was created to fight against a proposed law called the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill of 2010. This new law was meant to replace an older law from 2004, called the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004. The Coastal Coalition believed the new Bill would risk coastal and marine areas coming under the control of local Māori people. They ran many advertisements to show their opposition to this Bill.

What was the disagreement about?

The group faced strong criticism from Chris Finlayson. He was the New Zealand Attorney-General at the time and was in charge of introducing the new Bill. Mr. Finlayson called the Coastal Coalition 'clowns' and 'profoundly sickening'. He said this because he believed their arguments contained untruths. In response, the Coastal Coalition asked for Mr. Finlayson to be removed from his duties regarding the Bill. They argued that he was not open enough to discuss the Bill fairly, which they felt was important for someone in his position.