The intro to one item in the Herald today somewhat understates the position – at least insofar as Alf has firm thoughts on the matter.
It says (here) –
Chief Justice’s past links with Maori Council have ministers ill at ease
Your hard-working MP for Eketahuna North is downright stroppy on the matter.
The intro leads readers into a good piece from Fran O’Sullivan which points out that Dame Sian Elias successfully acted for the Maori Council on several high-profile Treaty claims against the Crown in the 1980s through to the mid-1990s.
That invites the question –
Should Chief Justice Sian Elias recuse herself from the upcoming Supreme Court hearing on the Maori water rights claim?