The historic signing brought together 12 iwi, the Crown, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, and Te Ohu Kaimoana. Photo / Supplied
The historic signing brought together 12 iwi, the Crown, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, and Te Ohu Kaimoana. Photo / Supplied
A landmark Regional Aquaculture Agreement bringing together 12 iwi, the Crown and regional authorities has unlocked 5000 hectares of new aquaculture space, valued at $35 million, in the Bay of Plenty.
The settlement was signed this week fulfilling the Crown’s obligations under the Māori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004and included $1 million in Crown support for resource consenting.
Te Tāwharau o te Whakatōhea chief executive Dickie Farrar said that this marked the realisation of a vision that began 15 years ago when kaumātua and Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board chair Robert Edwards shared his aspirations for developing the marine space for Te Whakatōhea.
The Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board has since been succeeded by Te Tāwharau o te Whakatōhea.
“This is a culmination of 15 to 20 years’ worth of work, Robert came to me all those years ago with a vision of developing the marine space for our people,” Farrar said.
“I’m so happy that he gets to see his vision fulfilled. He’s 93 years of age and he gets to be a part of this amazing event, taking his vision and the aspirations of our kaumātua/Māori elder and our rangatahi/youth, and developing this into a strategy that will benefit all Whakatōhea mokopuna, the collective iwi and the region itself.”
Iwi Aquaculture Working Group chair Peter Rice. Photo / Supplied
Iwi Aquaculture Working Group chair Peter Rice emphasised that kotahitanga/unity was the true prize of the journey.
“The first prize we’ve got is working together. Without working together, the settlement’s worth almost nothing in many ways,” Rice said.
“It’s all about the outcomes we want to see our people having. We want them to be wealthy - but wealthy in so many ways, not just monetary gain, but jobs, iwi pride and hauora.”
The Te Moana a Toi Iwi Aquaculture Collective. Photo / Supplied
Edwards, whose vision sparked this journey, reflected on what the signing means for future generations.
“The signing is the end of a journey, but also the beginning of a new haerenga [journey] to implement our aspirations out in the ocean,” he said.
“Our aspirations are that we work together and build a thriving aquaculture industry for future generations. In doing so, we must make sure we bear in mind our tikanga, the environment, and the sustainability of the whole project. If we were to ruin it, there’d be no future for our mokopuna of the future.”
The path to this historic agreement began in 2017 when the Whakatōhea coastal permit applications triggered “New Space” settlement obligations.
What followed were six years of careful negotiation, with the agreement timeline extended six times to ensure iwi had time to properly assess suitable sites, negotiate fair terms, and make informed decisions about settlement assets.
The Regional Aquaculture Agreement was part of a larger vision for Te Moana-a-Toi/Bay of Plenty, where 25,000ha of aquaculture development was projected.
This included existing deed of settlement spaces for Whakatōhea and Te Whānau a Apanui, Te Huata International’s 10,000-ha application near Te Kaha, and planned future development.
The settlement aligns with the Crown’s Aquaculture Development Plan, which targets $3 billion in annual revenue by 2035 (currently valued at $0.6 billion).
Farrar noted the next generation was ready to carry the vision forward.
