Plans to scrap iwi involvement in councils under reforms of the Resource Management Act will take away a seat at the decision-making table for Māori, says the chair of a Northland iwi.
By Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira of RNZ
But the minister in charge of RMA reform says the reforms will allow iwi to participate in statutory processes and activities like the identification of significant sites.
The environment select committee has recommended a raft of changes to the proposed RMA reforms, including scrapping agreements dictating the role of iwi in council decision making – called Mana Whakahono a Rōhe agreements.
Northland iwi Ngāti Hine signed a Mana Whakahono a Rōhe agreement in 2024 with the Northland Regional Council. Ngāti Hine chair Rowena Tana told RNZ there were two more applications with the Far North Regional and Whangārei District councils.
Tana said the agreement gave Ngāti Hine a "seat at the table" to talk with the council as "rangatira to rangatira".
"It also ensured that any resource consents, any developments, anything like that, we were being notified and our view [was] given effect to."
She said that relationship was "really important for our people".
"We do a lot of monitoring, a lot of implementation, and that's to preserve taiao and our way of life for our future generations.... our mana is derived from the whenua."
Tana told RNZ she was "very surprised, but not surprised" by the announcement.
"It's yet another example of modern-day control and oppression, marginalisation of our iwi, our people - another example of that behaviour."
Northland Regional Council chair Pita Tipene – whose council has an agreement with Ngāti Hine – told RNZ he learned about the changes on Monday.
He said the reforms were "despicable".
"I think it's absolutely despicable on one hand, and I think it's also cowardly. I think it's getting quite desperate, given that the runway into the general elections is quite short now."
Tipene said his council had three agreements in place and a hard position of honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
He said Northland's Māori population was about 40 percent and as high as 90 percent in some places.
"If we are to truly improve the circumstances of our communities and our regions, we've got to embrace each other, we've got to develop relationships that are proactive and progressive.
"This only takes things backwards," he said.
Speaking to Midday Report, Māori environmental expert Tina Porou gave an example of how the agreement worked for her own hapu.
"We have shared discussions over which trees will be cut down in the Tūrangi township... now I know that would scare people having a Māori help decide that, but that is some of the conversations we have around the table."
Porou said the changes would ultimately cost councils more in the long run.
"What I do know after 30 years in this business is that investing in a relationship at the beginning - creating good outcomes - is much cheaper than trying to manage a long-term, bad relationship with iwi and hapū."
She told Midday Report the conversations around the reforms had a "racist lens" and "ignored the evidence", something RMA reform Minister Chris Bishop denied.
"It's not racist at all," Bishop said.
"We're making provision in the legislation for iwi participation agreements, which are an important mechanism to make sure that councils and iwi can work out exactly how they relate to each other when it comes to identification of sites, for example," he said.
Bishop said the legislation was "relatively clear" and iwi would help with spatial planning and identifying sites of significance which "most people would regard as really important".
"The iwi participation agreements are about devising a mechanism to give effect to those roles and we've got a commitment to upholding Treaty settlements as well. Again, the iwi participation agreements are a way of essentially putting in place a mechanism for how treaty settlement obligations are given effect to," he said.
Asked if there would be a distinction for iwi who had and had not settled, Bishop said the new agreements would apply to iwi who had settled and a "wider level in relation to the role of mana whenua when it comes to a local council".
The reform is supported by Federated Farmers who, in a statement, said decision-making powers should remain with elected and accountable representatives.
Spokesperson Mark Hooper said the agreements had raised concern among farmers who had worries around accountability.
"While there is absolutely a place for relationship agreements between councils and iwi, they need appropriate safeguards.
"The new guardrails announced by the government are an important step in ensuring that." he said.
RNZ contacted two councils – Whangārei District (WDC) and Waikato Regional (WRC) – to ask what they thought of the reforms.
In a statement, a spokesperson for WDC said its role was to work within the framework set by central government and ensure local communities were served.
"Our interest is in having clear, practical and effective mechanisms that support constructive engagement with hapū, regardless of the legislative model adopted."
WDC has an existing Mana Whakahono a Rōhe agreement with Patuharakeke and Takahiwai hapū – signed in 2020 – but recently declined an application from Ngā Hapū o Whangārei to get one.
The spokesperson said while elected members acknowledged the "importance of strong relationships" with hapū, the request was declined because the resource management system and local government itself was undergoing significant changes.
"The decision also recognised that council already has long-standing arrangements in place through Te Kārearea, our strategic partnership committee established in 2012, Te Huinga, the collective forum that brings brings hapū and council together, and direct engagement with hapū across a range of council activities," the spokesperson said.
In another statement to RNZ, a spokesperson from Waikato Regional Council said the council had not yet had the opportunity to "formally consider" the proposed changes.
"Waikato Regional Council is currently involved in a number of Mana Whakahono ā Rohe processes. Over the past 14 months, the council has received 11 initiations, which are at varying stages of progression from early engagement through to active negotiation.
"The council will continue to monitor the legislation as it progresses through Parliament and remains committed to maintaining constructive relationships with iwi partners and meeting its statutory obligations." the spokesperson said.
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