新西兰英语 400 Who owns the beach and sea?

　　The Maori Party believes that the beach and sea were not mentioned in the Treaty¹ of Waitangi so they belong to Maori just as they did before Europeans came to this country.
In 2004, the Foreshore and Seabed Act said that all beaches up to the high tide mark and the sea belong to all New Zealanders.
Many Maori were very angry about this. The Maori Party was formed in 2004. In the last elections², they gained 5 seats in Parliament³. National had only 59 seats (out of 120). The Maori Party agreed to support National to give a majority in Parliament.
However, a new Marine⁴ and Coastal⁵ Area Bill went back to Parliament yesterday after being discussed by a committee⁶. When Parliament votes on it, the Bill becomes an Act. This will happen very soon. This Bill is similar to the Foreshore and Seabed Act. Beaches are free for everybody as far as the high tide mark. Usually the dry sand is public but if it is private, we can only have access to the beach by boat. Anyone can fish in the sea or take shell⁷ fish from the beach. There are limits to the number of fish you can catch or the number of shell fish you can collect.
The main difference with the Marine and Coastal Area Bill is that some Iwi will be able to go to court to prove they own their local beach. They will have to show that the Iwi has lived there and used that beach since 1840. Not many Iwi will be able to do this.
The Maori Party will vote for this Bill. It is not clear what Hone Harawira will do as he disagrees with this Bill.
Questions
If Iwi can prove they own the foreshore and seabed in their local area, can they sell the sand (e.g. iron⁸ sand)? Can they sell parts of the sea for anyone wanting to start a fish farm?
Many private owners now have homes along the coast so it is too late to say we should have free access to all beaches. However, we can access the beach by boat. Do you think these owners should allow access across their land to the beach?

1 treaty   

n.条约；协议，协定

参考例句：

• Hungary has indicated its readiness to sign the treaty.匈牙利已表示愿意签订该条约。
• I believe this treaty will pave the way to peace in Europe. 我相信这个条约将为欧洲的和平铺平道路。

2 elections   

n.选举，当选，推举( election的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Republicans got shellacked in the elections. 共和党在选举中一败涂地。
• He emerged victorious in the elections. 他在竞选中脱颖而出获得胜利。

3 Parliament   

n.议会，国会

参考例句：

• She won a seat in Parliament at the election.她在选举中赢得了议会中的席位。
• The drug was banned by an act of parliament.议会的法案明令禁止该药品。

4 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

5 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

6 committee   

n.委员会，全体委员

参考例句：

• We referred the matter back to the Finance Committee.我们把这事转回给财政委员会处理。
• I am going to speak out against the committee's decision.我打算直言反对委员会的决定。

7 shell   

n.贝壳，壳，外形；v.去壳，脱落；n.[计算机] DOS命令:安装备用的COMMAND.COM文件，并改变环境尺寸

参考例句：

• Please shell some peanuts for the cake.请为做点心剥点胡花生。
• This kind of beetles have hard shell.这类甲虫有坚硬的外壳。

8 iron   

n.铁，熨斗，坚强，烙铁，镣铐；vt.烫平，熨，用铁包；vi. 烫衣服

参考例句：

• The iron has lost its magnetic force.这块铁已失去了磁力。
• We need an electrician to mend the iron.我们要请电工修理熨斗。