‘The Coastal Coalition is a grassroots movement of volunteers who strongly believe that the foreshore and seabed is the birthright and common heritage of all New Zealanders and should remain vested in the Crown.

That is what we are fighting for.

Thanks to your support, we have already made major progress: we have an organised network of supporters around the country, an informative and busy website, a growing social networking presence, attention-grabbing billboards in prominent locations, and a high profile advertising campaign featuring half page and full page ads in major daily and weekly newspapers.

The Coalition’s advocacy helped to delay the introduction of the Marine and Coastal Area Bill, so that instead of being rushed through by Christmas as the Prime Minister had planned, the main debates on this controversial Bill will now be held in election year when politicians are much more sensitive to public opinion.

By using the Official Information Act, we have also finally managed to get the Attorney General to release the submissions on the Review of the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act . We now know why he had suppressed the information for almost six months: 77 percent of submitters were opposed the repeal of the present Act and an astonishing 91 percent opposed National’s proposed Bill!

Given the Prime Minister had said the Bill would only go ahead if there was wide public support, in pushing ahead with his Bill, John Key is clearly acting without a mandate. ‘
(via a Muriel Newman email.)