Marine and coastal access has been a point of contention for successive governments and while none of the major parties are campaigning on it this election, the issue will continue to underpin New Zealand politics.
National says Labour’s 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act was divisive, and replaced it with the Marine and Coastal Area Act 2011 (the Act).
The Act guarantees all New Zealanders free public access to the common marine and coastal area, and restores the right of Maori to apply for customary title.
To gain customary title, applicants must prove uninterrupted, exclusive use and occupation of an area from 1840 to the present day – a process which makes many areas ineligible and which detractors of the Act say is racist.
The Maori Party supported the Marine and Coastal Act as part of a deal struck with the National Government, but received heavy criticism from Labour and the Green Party for doing so.
The Maori Party campaigned for the reinstatement of the right to seek customary title and the section of the Act that allows claims to go to court, but said the requirements for proving customary title were "a blow" and hopes they will undergo review.
Mana Party leader Hone Harawira left the Maori Party over the Act, saying it made proving customary title almost impossible, and the Green Party has said the Act is racist.
Labour says the Government forced through the bill when the majority of Maori opposed it and say New Zealand needs a new, unhurried solution which considers submissions from members of the public.