Mana Whakahono ā-Rohe agreements were added into the Resource Management Act in 2017.
The one Tūwharetoa hapū to have a Mana Whakahono ā-Rohe agreement with Taupō District Council has hit back after the Government decided to remove all Mana Whakahono agreements from the RMA reform bills.
Mana Whakahono ā-Rohe agreements were added into the Resource Management Act in 2017. This gave Māori a mechanism to engage, consult with and co-govern with councils.
The Government is now offering narrowly scoped iwi participation agreements as a replacement for the previous agreements, something Federated Farmers had recommended in its submission on local government reform.
A statement from Federated Farmers RMA reform spokesman Mark Hooper said Mana Whakahono agreements should not “override democratic decision-making, expand the scope of planning legislation or create additional consent requirements”.
Uptake of Mana Whakahono in the Taupō region has been slow. Only one Tūwharetoa hapū, Ngāti Tūrangitukua, has an agreement with Taupō District Council.
In 2022, Taupō District Council signed a Mana Whakahono ā-Rohe agreement with Ngāti Tūrangitukua Charitable Trust, the organisation responsible for managing assets returned to the hapū after its claims settlement.
From that agreement, the Tūrangi Co-Governance Committee was instituted, comprising both elected members and Ngāti Tūrangitukua representatives.
Since then, several initiatives have resulted in improvements such as Te Maaapuna Sports Facility, Te Kapua Park Playground, and the preparation and development of two important plans within the Mana Whakahono boundary, the traditional realm of Ngāti Tūrangitukua.
In a statement, Tūrangitukua Charitable Trust chairwoman Lauren Fletcher said: “We have invested considerable time, capability and resources in building constructive relationships with both Taupō District Council and Waikato Regional Council.
“We did so on the express understanding that existing and formally initiated Mana Whakahono [agreements] would continue into the new system.”
She added that their current arrangements provided clarity on working arrangements, reduced duplication and helped to avoid conflict and delay.
A Waikato Regional Council spokesperson said while they had yet to finalise an agreement with Ngāti Tūrangitukua, discussions were ongoing.
The council was yet to form a position on the situation.
“[The] council has not yet had an opportunity to formally consider the proposed changes or their implications.”
Taupō Mayor John Funnel co-chairs the Tūrangi committee and said despite Wellington’s actions, his council’s relationship with Ngāti Tūrangitukua wasn’t over.
“The agreement we have in Tūrangi recognises the fact that most of council’s assets sit on Turangitukua’s land and working together is a reflection of that deeper relationship,” Funnell said.
Fellow co-chairman Te Wharau Walker jnr said Mana Whakahono worked and it provided a way for his hapū and council to work together.
“It has provided a practical way for us to engage early, build trust and work together on kaupapa that matter not only to our hapū, but to our wider community,” Walker jnr said.
Whatever shape or form the future agreements will take, Ngāti Tūrangitukua’s chair made their position on the Government’s last-minute change clear.
Lauren Fletcher called on the Government to:
History of Mana Whakahono ā-Rohe agreements
When the Government introduced Mana Whakahono ā-Rohe agreements in 2017, the Environment Minister at the time, Nick Smith, said the deals would improve the way local government worked with Māori.
“The Mana Whakahono ā-Rohe/Iwi Participation Agreement provides a better framework for councils to meet their existing obligations to consult with local iwi,” Smith said.
He added that the agreements enabled Māori to be involved in resource management while improving outcomes, reducing delays and lowering costs.
Previously the Government had said the RMA reforms would maintain existing Mana Whakahono agreements, while not allowing any new ones to take effect.
However, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop announced last week the deals would be scrapped after becoming concerned with the “rapid increase in new agreements”.
Bronson Perich is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist for Taupō and South Waikato based at the Waikato Herald.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.