In his column, Tauranga MP Simon Bridges (Sunlive November 30) says the ‘Keep Water Kiwi' adverts are: 'Extreme and pretty silly”, and responds to a question: 'Are Maori claiming ownership?” by saying that's wrong and ‘No, that'll never happen'.

The Freshwater Iwi Leaders Group is claiming ownership of water. This group has set out a strategy on its website of the steps it is taking to make it happen. The Freshwater Iwi Leaders Group also wants a $1 billion fund of public money to teach tribal members resource management skills.

Mr Bridges claimed Dr Muriel Newman, one of the forces behind the Keep Water Kiwi adverts, ‘got a lot of people worked up' over the Foreshore and Seabed ‘and they have been proved wrong'.

However, the existence of about 40 live claims by tribal groups to the marine and coastal area around New Zealand shows that Dr Newman was indeed devastatingly correct, and Maori claims continue unabated. Dr Newman was also correct in drawing attention to widespread public opposition to an attempt by the Maori Party to entrench the Treaty of Waitangi in the Constitution through the Constitutional Advisory Panel. Government has remained strangely silent about this for two years.

Mr Bridges should take a message to his National Party bosses that regular secret preferential meetings between senior ministers and the coalition of private tribal businesses on the issue of water ownership should cease immediately.

This creates the perception of deals being done behind closed doors.

SL Paterson, Arataki.