IWI / HAPŪ RIGHTS AND INTERESTS IN FRESH WATER:

IWI / HAPŪ RIGHTS AND INTERESTS IN FRESH WATER:
RECOGNITION WORK-STREAM: RESEARCH REPORT
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................... 4
Possible outcomes and mechanisms for effective rights recognition ............................................... 5
Alternative forms of iwi relationship to freshwater bodies ............................................................. 6
Iwi, hapū and whānau as kaitiaki and decision-makers for particular waterbodies in their rohe
and/or areas of responsibility ...................................................................................................... 6
Iwi/hapū access to fresh water for marae, papakainga and mahinga kai ...................................... 7
Additional outcomes / directions.................................................................................................. 7
INTRODUCTION, PURPOSE AND SCOPE..................................................................................... 10
PART ONE: IWI / HAPŪ / WHĀNAU RELATIONSHIPS WITH FRESHWATER AND PARTICULAR
FRESHWATER BODIES ................................................................................................................. 12
Tikanga Taiao: The Māori View of the Environment ...................................................................... 13
Tikanga Wai: The Māori View of Freshwater................................................................................. 14
Identity and Freshwater ............................................................................................................ 15
Freshwater as Taonga .............................................................................................................. 17
Authority and Control of Freshwater: Kaitiakitanga, Mana and Rangatiratanga .......................... 19
Rangatiratanga: Māori Proprietary Rights and Interests in Freshwater ......................................... 21
Tikanga-a-iwi: examples of iwi specific relationships with freshwater ............................................ 22
Whanganui whānau, hapū, iwi .................................................................................................. 22
Waikato Tainui.......................................................................................................................... 23
Ngāti Kahungunu ...................................................................................................................... 26
Ngāti Porou .............................................................................................................................. 27
Ngāi Tahu................................................................................................................................. 28
Ngāti Tūwharetoa ..................................................................................................................... 28
Te Arawa .................................................................................................................................. 29
Ngā Puhi .................................................................................................................................. 29
Tikanga-a-hapū specific examples ............................................................................................... 29
Ngāti Pikiao (Te Arawa) ............................................................................................................ 29
Te Ika Whenua ......................................................................................................................... 30
Tikanga-a-whānau specific examples ........................................................................................... 30
Poroti Springs ........................................................................................................................... 30
Conclusions: Māori Relationship with Freshwater ........................................................................ 31
PART TWO: IWI, HAPŪ AND WHĀNAU AS KAITIAKI AND DECISION-MAKERS FOR PARTICULAR
WATERBODIES IN THEIR ROHE AND/OR AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY..................................... 33
PART THREE: IWI / HAPŪ ACCESS TO FRESHWATER FOR MARAE, PAPAKAINGA AND
MAHINGA KAI ................................................................................................................................. 40
The issues ................................................................................................................................... 40
Possible solutions ........................................................................................................................ 40
PART FOUR: ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF IWI RELATIONSHIP TO FRESHWATER BODIES ......... 42
Whanganui Iwi – Whanganui River: Te Awa Tupua ...................................................................... 42
Ruruku Whakatupua - Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua me Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui ............... 45
Effect of legal recognition .......................................................................................................... 47
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Conclusion on Ruruku Whakatupua .......................................................................................... 49
Ngāti Tūwharetoa – Lake Taupō and associated tributaries .......................................................... 50
Other specific water-body examples ............................................................................................. 51
Lake Waikaremoana ................................................................................................................. 51
Lake Rotoaira ........................................................................................................................... 51
Te Arawa Lakes........................................................................................................................ 52
Lake Omāpere.......................................................................................................................... 53
PART FIVE: PLANNING DOCUMENTATION – RIGHTS REFLECTION .......................................... 54
Regional Council – Analysis of planning documentation and mechanisms .................................... 54
Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 56
PART SIX: INTERNATIONAL APPROACHES AND OUTCOMES.................................................... 58
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 58
International instruments .............................................................................................................. 58
Australia....................................................................................................................................... 58
New South Wales ..................................................................................................................... 59
Canada ........................................................................................................................................ 61
United States ............................................................................................................................... 62
Bolivia .......................................................................................................................................... 65
Finland and Sweden .................................................................................................................... 65
CONCLUSION: POSSIBLE OUTCOMES AND MECHANISMS ...................................................... 66
Alternative forms of iwi relationship to freshwater bodies ........................................................... 66
Iwi, hapū and whānau as kaitiaki and decision-makers for particular waterbodies in their rohe
and/or areas of responsibility .................................................................................................... 67
Iwi/hapū access to fresh water for marae, papakainga and mahinga kai .................................... 67
Additional outcomes / directions................................................................................................ 67
APPENDIX – SUMMARY OF PLANNING INSTRUMENTS AND OTHER MECHANISMS ................ 71
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This Research Report (Report) has been completed in the context of the current engagement
between the Crown and the Freshwater Iwi Leaders Group (Freshwater ILG) on addressing
iwi / hapū rights and interests in freshwater.1 There are four work-streams in the context of
this engagement: recognition, water quality, governance / management / decision-making and
economic development.2 This Report has been completed for the recognition work-stream
however will likely have relevance to the other work-streams and has particular overlap with
the governance / management / decision-making work-stream. The purpose of this Report is
two-fold: (1) to provide an analysis of the relevant freshwater rights and interests literature as
against the recognition work-stream priorities and (2) to set out possible outcomes and
mechanisms for rights recognition on the basis of the research completed.
Part One of this Report details the relationships of iwi / hapū / whānau with freshwater and
particular freshwater bodies. The Māori relationship with the environment and natural
resources, freshwater more specifically, is founded upon whakapapa and whānaungatanga.
That relationship often manifests itself in kaitiaki rights and responsibilities. Those kaitiaki
rights and responsibilities of iwi, hapū and whānau are therefore seen in the context of a wider
Māori world-view based on Māori kaupapa. Wai is often viewed as a tupuna and the Waitangi
Tribunal has held on a number of occasions that it is a taonga. The Māori world-view also
requires an intergenerational focus; resources must be protected and enhanced for those
generations not yet with us and in respect of those that have passed. 3
Based on the whānaungatanga foundation (along with the corresponding tikanga and values
with respect to the environment), and the guarantees provided pursuant to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
1840, Māori have rights and interests in their freshwater bodies. A multitude of Waitangi
Tribunals have confirmed this in different contexts however this particular finding has very
recently been confirmed by the Tribunal in the Report on the National Freshwater and
Geothermal Resources Claim (WAI2358) namely that the rights and interests Māori had in
their freshwater bodies, for which the closest English equivalent in 1840 was ownership; and
that those rights were then confirmed, guaranteed, and protected by the Treaty of Waitangi,
save to the extent that the Treaty bargain provided for some sharing of the waters with
incoming settlers.4
The Māori relationship with freshwater manifests itself in a number of different ways. For
example, some iwi / hapū / whānau have yet to have their relationship, rights and
responsibilities formally recognised but do not require such recognition to continue to exercise
kaitiakitanga over their freshwater bodies to the extent that they are able to. Some iwi / hapū
/ whānau have title to the beds of their freshwater bodies returned to them (and, in one
example, the column above the beds – Ngāti Tūwharetoa) which has enabled them, with
varying success, to participate in the management of that freshwater body. Some iwi / hapū /
whānau have arrangements that provide for a level of co-governance and / or co-management
of particular freshwater bodies (noting that the strongest form of this implemented to date is
the Waikato-Tainui model and this has not yet been replicated for other iwi / hapū / whānau).
However, the reality for most (if not all) iwi / hapū / whānau is that, even those with a greater
recognition of rights than others, the level of kaitiakitanga they wish to exert over their taonga
is still not available to them.5
1
This Report is confirmed to its current context: the parameters of the Freshwater ILG engagement
with the Crown in relation to the recognition of rights and interests in freshwater.
2
See priorities agreed between Freshwater ILG and the Crown in April 2015.
3
See Part One for analysis and detailed referencing.
4
See Part One for analysis and detailed referencing.
5
See Parts One, Two and Four for analysis and detailed referencing.
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Often iwi / hapū / whānau are forced by default to wait until their iwi settles a Treaty grievance
to obtain a level of involvement in freshwater management that is mandatory – this should not
be the case and, as noted in Ko Aotearoa Tenei (the WAI262 report), “iwi should not have to
spend valuable Treaty credits in full and final settlements to achieve what the RMA was
supposed to deliver in any case”.6 Similarly, iwi, hapū and whānau should not have to wait
until Treaty grievances are settled to have proactive, positive and functional relationships with
regional and local councils. Although the Treaty settlement context provides examples of
rights recognition to a certain extent, it is a negotiated outcome context. This naturally has an
implication on the extent of the agreements reached as each side has to make compromises
throughout the course of any negotiation; more often than not the iwi compromises are far
greater than the Crowns.7
The following is a brief summary of Parts Two – Four of this Report which addresses the
recognition work-stream priorities.

There are examples of iwi, hapū and whānau as kaitiaki and decision-makers for
particular waterbodies in their rohe and/or areas of responsibility; Waikato-Tainui,
Ngati Porou and Ngai Tahu are all party to arrangements that provide them with a
particular level of decision-making over waterbodies.8

There are examples of iwi / hapū access to freshwater for marae, papakainga and
mahinga kai. However, these are often at the expense of those marae and papakainga.
the limited number of examples we have been able to source highlights the reality and
well-known issue for iwi / hapū / whānau – free and available access to freshwater for
marae, papakainga and mahinga kai is not readily available and is certainly not the
norm. Further, those examples that were able to be sourced and referenced in this
Report illustrate that many initiatives in this space are iwi / hapū / whānau led and
funded. Often the benefits are then felt by the wider community. This lack of access
needs to be addressed.9

Alternative forms of outcomes to reflect iwi relationships to freshwater bodies have
also been recognised, particularly over recent years. Te Awa Tupua framework for the
Whanganui River, which among other things affords legal personality to Te Awa
Tupua, is one such example. Ngāti Tūwharetoa, through the Tūwharetoa Māori Trust
Board, also own the bed and the water column of Lake Taupō and particular tributaries.
These alternative forms of recognition should be considered when developing
outcomes and mechanisms for the recognition of Māori rights to freshwater bodies.10
We have also considered two further areas – planning frameworks in the New Zealand context
and international examples. The international examples in particular highlight that there are
innovative ways in which indigenous rights to freshwater can be recognised. There are also
examples of rights recognition, albeit often constrained, in our own planning frameworks.
Possible outcomes and mechanisms for effective rights recognition
The outcome and mechanisms options summarised in this Part align to those priorities agreed
to by the Crown and the Freshwater ILG.11 The outcomes set out in this Report may not suit
Ko Aotearoa Tēnei, Te Taumata Tuarua – Volume 1, p.273.
See Parts One, Two and Four for analysis and detailed referencing.
8
Part Two.
9
Part Three.
10
Part Four.
11
Namely (1) iwi/hapū/whanau relationships with fresh water and particular freshwater bodies; (2) iwi,
hapū and whanau as kaitiaki and decision-makers for particular waterbodies in their rohe and/or areas
6
7
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all whānau, hapū and iwi particularly in relation to the spectrum of various aspirations for rights
recognition and the ability to completely (and, in some cases, solely) protect and control their
taonga. However, it is intended that a suite of outcomes be presented to, and discussed with,
the Crown so as to determine which options are viable and can be presented to whānau, hapū
and iwi through the nationwide hui the ILG are holding in July and August, and then the
following Crown engagement with the public. These outcomes have largely been sourced
from the research on National and International examples. There is some cross-over between
some outcomes and mechanisms but this Report continues to group them in accordance with
the Crown / ILG agreed priorities for recognition:
Alternative forms of iwi relationship to freshwater bodies12
Outcome
Iwi ownership of Crown owned riverbed & lake
beds and water column13
Mechanisms
Title transferred14
Inalienable title created (under iwi and hapū
control)15
Vesting of the water column in iwi and hapū16
Te Awa Tupua approach
Crown title vested
Legal personality afforded to the awa
Pou (people) as guardians of the awa
Rohe Protection Area (including bed ownership
where necessary)18
Title transferred
Regulatory responsibility retained by iwi
Guaranteed allocation from existing and new
sources to enable iwi and hapū cultural and
economic aspirations, created in collaboration
with local and central government, and in
alignment with kaitiaki responsibilities19
Prioritisation of water allocation for iwi and
hapū
Reviewing of long term consents and the
ability to correct over-allocation through
consent reviews
17
Iwi, hapū and whānau as kaitiaki and decision-makers for particular waterbodies in
their rohe and/or areas of responsibility20
of responsibility; (3) iwi/hapū access to fresh water for marae, papakainga and mahinga kai. A separate
outcomes and mechanisms section has not been created for relationships of iwi / hapū / whānau with
freshwater as this permeates all of the other sections.
12
See Part 4 and Part 5 of this Report.
13
For example, Ngati Tuwharetoa – Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board (ownership of the lake bed and
water column of Lake Taupo and particular tributaries).
14
For example, Ngati Tuwharetoa – Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board. See also Te Arawa Lakes
(although beds transferred without the water column).
15
For example, the mechanism presented to the Crown in the context of the case study of Te Hapori o
Maungatautari.
16
For example, Ngati Tuwharetoa – Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board.
17
For example, the Whanganui River (legal personality of the Whanganui River, among other
mechanisms). All of the mechanisms are specific to those provided for through the Whanganui River
settlement.
18
For example, that advocated by Te Whanau-a-Apanui.
19
For example, the mechanisms presented to the Crown in the context of the case study of Te Hapori
o Maungatautari.
20
See Part 2 and Part 5 of this Report.
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Outcome
Mechanisms
Co-management and co-governance
arrangements: planning & consenting21
Expanding co-governance and co-management
arrangements to all catchments
Comparative status of RMA planning
documentation
Maximise and strengthen existing mechanisms
(e.g. RMA)
Use of section 33 (transfer of powers)
compulsorily in particular circumstances
Proactive implementation of JMA provisions
Enhancing the status of Iwi Management Plans
in the RMA
Joint consenting authorities
More iwi and hapū commissioners considering
RMA matters
Inclusion of mātauranga Māori as a relevant and
critical strand for resource management
decision making across all policy development,
projects and monitoring
Resourcing iwi and hapū involvement in
decision-making processes and specific projects
related to rights and interests to water
Rohe Protection Area22
Regulatory responsibility retained by iwi
Iwi/hapū access to fresh water for marae, papakainga and mahinga kai23
Outcome
All marae have secure sustainable access to
quality freshwater at no cost
All marae have infrastructure at no cost to
deliver quality freshwater
All mahinga kai sites are restored and/or
protected
All papakaenga have secure sustainable access
to quality freshwater
All papakaenga have infrastructure to deliver
quality freshwater
Mechanisms
Customary take provisions provided for at a
National level, and in all Regional plans, before
baselines are set 24
Prioritisation of water allocation for iwi and hapū
Inclusion of mātauranga Māori as a relevant and
critical strand for resource management
decision making across all policy development,
projects and monitoring
Resourcing iwi and hapū involvement in
decision-making processes and specific projects
related to rights and interests to water
Additional outcomes / directions
The following mechanisms should also be discussed in the broader context of the Crown /
Freshwater ILG engagement (noting that these may align more with alternative work-streams,
for example Governance, but they are noted in this Report for completeness): 25
Crown/Central Government
21
For example, the Waikato River example.
For example, that advocated by Te Whanau-a-Apanui.
23
See Part 3 and Part 5 of this Report.
24
United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
25
Many of these examples have been taken from those the mechanisms presented to the Crown in the
context of the case study of Te Hapori o Maungatautari.
22
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

More proactive implementation of the rights articulated in the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
More proactive implementation of the recommendations in the Waitangi Tribunal’s
report on the Wai 262 claim for a Treaty compliant resource management system.

Te Mana o Te Wai being a compulsory consideration in the National Policy Statement
(e.g. as an objective).

Strengthen provisions in the RMA for relationships between local government and iwi
and hapū on the basis that tangata whenua are Treaty partners with rights and
responsibilities as kaitiaki (rather than stakeholders) to avoid risks of watering down
the voice of iwi and hapū in collaborative processes.

Providing resourcing to iwi and hapū, particularly those who did not receive comanagement funding, to enable iwi, hapū and whānau to:
 provide guidance to local government on how to be more proactive in
implementing iwi management plans and to build iwi and hapū capacity;
 provide guidance on how to engage with tangata whenua (without restricting
‘partnership’ to iwi authorities); and
 build and strengthen relationships.

Thorough analysis to assess the interrelationship between the various reforms, at
national and regional level, which are being proposed to ensure that the right mix of
measures are adopted to achieve the desired outcomes and to assess how these
measures contribute to the aspirations of iwi and hapū within the region.

Develop mechanisms to include more equitable representation of tangata whenua on
Crown appointed boards of State Owned Entities (e.g. Mighty River Power) and council
owned entities (e.g. Watercare), primarily in terms of more Māori who have expertise
in the particular field and in tikanga on these boards who can then lead and influence
the values, culture and behaviour of these organisations.

Crown resourcing for:
 education in the community, including councillors and council staff, to promote
better understanding of tangata whenua rights and interests; and
 education and training for iwi and hapū to increase knowledge about the RMA
and the relevant processes for iwi and hapū in freshwater management.

Assessing how the Making Good Decisions training programme, and other similar
programmes, can be more accessible and effective for iwi and hapū, particularly in
terms of tangata whenua issues in resource management and freshwater planning.
Local Government 26

Regional Councils showing leadership at local and regional level with ongoing national
level discussions and guidance.

Address legacy issues, recognising past decisions and clearly committing to the
resolution of these issues.
26
Whilst these mechanisms are aimed at Local Government, there is a role for Central Government in
terms of national direction, guidance and resourcing.
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
Explore new ways of working together and opportunities to strengthen iwi and hapū
roles in freshwater management.

Comprehensive review of management framework to identify inconsistencies and
opportunities to strengthen.

Implementation guidance for Council practitioners about the relationship of Māori with
their taonga. Clear guidance particularly when advocating a shift from past practices.

Continue conversations on improving freshwater management from an iwi and hapū
perspective with regular meetings.

Workshop/wānanga on prominent issues, solutions and mechanisms.

Work with iwi and hapū to identify collaborative opportunities for joint projects.

Commit to going beyond minimum requirements and truly commit to involving tangata
whenua in decision-making.

Councils contracting suitably qualified tangata whenua, as identified by iwi and hapū,
to advise and provide guidance on certain projects. There is a potential role here for
Central Government to provide funding to enable councils to second or contract iwi
members with kaitiakitanga/matauranga Māori expertise that are regional or iwi
specific.

Engaging with tangata whenua prior to public release of notifications of consents,
policies, discussion documents and other relevant matters.

Resource a work program that strengthens Council capacity and understanding of iwi
and hapū management plans.

Examine mutually beneficial work streams and projects which can contribute to the
capacity and understanding of iwi and hapū groups whilst achieving the objectives of
long term and regional plans (e.g. Waihou Catchment Willow and Poplar Removal
program).

Understand how Councils can work with tangata whenua beyond iwi organisations.
Particularly, at a localised project level there are other tāngata whenua, smaller hapū
groups who are interested in engaging.
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INTRODUCTION, PURPOSE AND SCOPE
This Report has been completed in the context of the current engagement between the Crown
and the Freshwater ILG on addressing iwi / hapū rights and interests in freshwater.27 The
Freshwater ILG / Crown engagement has been ongoing, in different forms, since 2007. The
following protocol is both relevant and applicable to framing the starting point for, and
objectives of, the engagement (which also frame this Report):
Iwi, and more generally Māori, have a particular interest in fresh water, having traditional and
cultural connections with freshwater resources, as well as economic interests. Water is a
taonga of paramount importance with attendant rights, interests and responsibilities. The
Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) forms the underlying foundation of the Crown-Māori
relationship with regard to freshwater resources. There exists a shared interest and desire for
tenable and long-term solutions in respect of the management of freshwater resources.
Communication and Information Exchange Protocol - Freshwater Iwi Leaders Group and the
Crown (2009; rev 2013)
There are four work-streams in the context of this particular Freshwater ILG / Crown
engagement: recognition, water quality, governance / management / decision-making and
economic development.28 This Report has been completed for the recognition work-stream
however the Report will likely have relevance to the other work-streams and has particular
overlap with the governance / management / decision-making work-stream.
The purpose of this Report is two-fold: (1) to provide an analysis of the relevant freshwater
rights and interests literature as against the recognition work-stream priorities and (2) to set
out possible outcomes and mechanisms for rights recognition on the basis of the research
completed. The structure of this Report aligns with the recognition work-stream priorities and
objectives.29 The recognition work-stream objectives are to:

enable formal recognition of iwi / hapū / whānau relationships with particular freshwater
bodies; and

address uncertainty of supply of potable water on all marae and in papakainga.
The related governance / management / decision-making work-stream objectives are also
relevantly connected to the recognition objectives being to:

enhance iwi/hapū participation at all levels of freshwater decision-making; and

build capacity and capability amongst iwi/hapū and councils, including resourcing.
The recognition work-stream priorities are:

iwi / hapū / whānau relationships with freshwater and particular freshwater bodies

iwi, hapū and whānau as kaitiaki and decision-makers for particular waterbodies in
their rohe and/or areas of responsibility;
27
This Report is confirmed to its current context: the parameters of the Freshwater ILG engagement
with the Crown in relation to the recognition of rights and interests in freshwater.
28
See priorities agreed between Freshwater ILG and the Crown in April 2015.
29
A summary of the key matters in each Part has been set out in the Executive Summary and is not
repeated in this introductory section.
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
iwi/hapū access to fresh water for marae, papakainga and mahinga kai; and

alternative forms of iwi relationship to freshwater bodies.
These kaupapa align with Parts One – Four (inclusive) of the Report. Parts Five to Six have
been added to include additional relevant areas that may not neatly fit within the recognition
work-stream priorities but are still relevant to the broader recognition of rights and interests
kaupapa. These areas are planning frameworks in the New Zealand context and international
examples. This Report then sets out the possible outcomes and mechanisms, based on
research, for discussion between the Freshwater ILG and the Crown. Given the importance
of these outcomes and mechanisms, the majority of the outcomes and mechanisms section
has been included in the Executive Summary.
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PART ONE: IWI / HAPŪ / WHĀNAU RELATIONSHIPS WITH
FRESHWATER AND PARTICULAR FRESHWATER BODIES
Wai has always and will always be a taonga or highly prized resource of immense and
important spiritual and material value to Māori including whānau, hapū and iwi. The Presiding
Officer of the Waitangi Tribunal in his transmitting letter accompanying the Stage 1 Report on
the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim (the Freshwater Report) to the
Prime Minister and relevant Ministers provides a high level summary of the importance of
freshwater bodies to Māori:30
Rivers and other water bodies could be living beings or ancestors. In whakapapa, Māori
had kin relationships with these water bodies. Each had its own mauri (life force), its
taniwha (spirit guardians), and a central place in tribal identity. And access was jealously
guarded and controlled. Travelling by waka, fishing, or other forms of use were only by
permission of the tribe which held mana over those waters. The importance of these water
bodies to Māori cannot be overstated. These things have long been known.
The relationship that Māori have to water is extensive and has existed since time immemorial.
The Waitangi Tribunal in the Freshwater Report heard evidence by iwi, hapū and whānau of
this deep relationship. This evidence included:31

whakapapa (genealogy) beginning with Ranginui (the Sky Father) and Papatūānuku
(Earth Mother);

the creation of waterbodies by ancestors, by taniwha (guardian spirits) and by atua
(gods);

the whakapapa relationships to water at various stages of its life cycle;

how some water bodies are ancestral beings;

tribal histories of long occupation of territory in which tino rangatiratanga (authority
and control) was exercised over rivers and other waters, controlling access for travel
and other uses;

tribal sayings that show the centrality of water bodies to tribal identity;

the vital importance of water bodies as ‘cupboards’ for food, drinking water, aquatic
plants and other necessities;

the sacred aspect of some waters and the uses to which they are put including for
ritual purposes, cleansing of waters and reparation of the deal;

the water of particular bodies being used in rongoa (healing);

certain water bodies that are tapu (sacred);

how water bodies have a mauri (life force) and are protected by taniwha; and

how Māori have attempted to have their rights recognised by the State.
30
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012).
31
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 9 -10.
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This Part delves deeper into this relationship and explores the Māori view and importance of
freshwater generally.32 It then provides specific examples of iwi, hapū and whānau
relationships with particular water and waterbodies. Relevant Waitangi Tribunal Reports,
including evidence presented and findings, are relied on heavily in this Part.
We note that in contemporary society the relationships that Māori have with their waterbodies
manifests themselves in many different forms. This is largely because the ability of Māori to
exercise their customary rights and interests over a water body is dependent on the legal
framework and agreements they may have entered into with the Crown. The agreements that
iwi have entered into with the Crown are examined in detail in Parts Two and Four of this
Report.
Tikanga Taiao: The Māori View of the Environment
The starting point for the relationship that Māori have to water is the Māori comprehension of
the environment more broadly.
Māori see themselves not as masters of the environment but as members of it. 33 This intrinsic
relationship stems from whakapapa, a genealogical association linking Māori with all natural
resources and their associated deities. Under a Māori world view, the creation of the
environment finds its origins in the union of Ranginui (the Sky father) and Papatūānuku (the
Earth mother) and their children who are key deities of various domains of the natural world.
Once cloaked in darkness Ranginui and Papatūānuku lay in an unyielding embrace until their
son Tāne-Mahuta prised them apart and brought light into the world.34
Māori can trace their origins back to these gods through whakapapa. 35 This means that Māori
consider that all forms of life and natural resources including the animals, plants, mountains
and freshwater expanses such as rivers and lakes as being either kin, ancestors or primeval
parents. To Māori the whole cosmos therefore unfolds itself as a gigantic ‘kin’.36
Whakapapa provides a framework for Māori to make sense of the world as it describes the
relationships between them and the natural world. Nin Tomas describes how Māori interrelate
to their surrounding environment as follows:37
Although the whakapapa of various tribes may vary as to the particulars, the process from
which humans eventually emerge does not. Each begins with a series of abstract concepts,
in genealogical form, emerging one from the other. The same order is used to describe
the process of the physical universe as they unravel. The genealogy spread in an ever
increasing web of relationships from the single ancestral source. It includes the spiritual
aspects of existence that are common to all things. The bond this creates between humans
and the rest of the physical world is both immutable and unseverable. It finds recognition
in a single word, whakapapa.
32
In doing so, this Part draws on a range of different sources including, but not limited to, various
Waitangi Tribunal Reports.
33
See ET Durie ‚Custom Law: Address to the New Zealand law Society for Legal and Social Philosophy‛
(1994) 24 VUWLR 325 at 328.
34
Note that creation narratives differ among Māori in form and substance. Although this world-view is
but one narrative it is arguably the best known.
35
See ET Durie ‚Custom Law: Address to the New Zealand law Society for Legal and Social Philosophy‛
(1994) 24 VUWLR 325 at 328.
36
See J Prytz Johansen The Maori and his Religion and its Non-Ritualistic Aspects (Ejnar Munksgaard,
Copenhagen, 1954) at 9 cited in Michael Reilly “Te Timatanga mai o ngā atua – Creation Narratives” in
Tania Ka’ai et al (eds) Ki te Whaiao: An Introduction to Maori Culture and Society (Pearson Education
NZ Ltd, Auckland, 2004) 1.
37
See Nin Tomas ‘Implementing Kaitiakitanga Under the RMA 1991‛ (July 1994) NZELR 39.
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To Māori the environment is therefore holistic and interconnected. Inherent in this view of the
world is not only reciprocity between descendants and ancestors, but an obligation to pass it
on and preserve it for future generations, so that they may enjoy a relationship with the
resource.38
Tikanga Wai: The Māori View of Freshwater
The origin of water itself can be traced to the separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku and
their continuing tears for one another. Rain is said to represent Ranginui’s tears for
Papatūānuku, and the reciprocal expression of grief from Papatūānuku’s is in the form of mist
and waiū (mother’s milk) or life-giving dew.39 This is partly illustrated in a statement made on
behalf of Ngāti Makino in the Central North Island Report:40
Water [wai] originates from the separation of Ranginui and Papatuanuku, and whichever
form it takes on, [during] its descent from the realms of the sky father it is recognised by
Māori as the everlasting regrets, longing and loss felt in the separation of the parents and
their expansive and undying love for each other. So the sense in which water has its first
importance is in that relationship between Rangi and Papa. The tears that fall from the sky
become the nourishment of the land itself, on which all current existence depends. Wai
sustains and is sustained by Papatuanuku. As the whenua [land] is nurtured by the waiahuru that protects the life within the placenta so the wai acts as a shelter for the human
form that is nourished by the whenua. As Ngā Roimata a Ranginui descend to settle on
Papatuanuku, they gather in the many rivulets of her form, flowing through her and over
her, bathing and nourishing the lover that Rangi continues to yearn for.
Consistent with the holistic way in which Māori view the natural world, Hōhepa Kereopa
describes the interconnectedness of waters:41
Upon its descent through the warmth of Papatuanuku, the mists will begin to elevate. When
it is nightfall the dew begins to fall on the surface of the earth, which are the land winds.
All the rivers converge together from the valleys which follows the descent of the waterfalls
forming into the mina or the cleansing waters whose role it is to gather all the impurities
together and carry them to the river mouth. As a cleansing for the children of Tangaroa,
the crest of the moon is lifted creating the mist and clouds, allowing the process to begin
again.
Thus, whilst separate water bodies exist, the Māori view is that there are cyclical, reciprocal
relationships between them. Waterbodies therefore do not exist in isolation but as a system
of waters.
This understanding is reflected in the Māori view that water bodies are an
indivisible whole. The Waitangi Tribunal has repeatedly accepted the position that water
bodies are not to be analysed or treated in terms of their constituent parts or characteristics:
water, bed and banks, aquatic lifeforms, tidal or non-tidal, navigable or non-navigable.42
See Waitangi Tribunal Mōhaka River Report (WAI 119 Waitangi Tribunal 1992) at 2.6.
See Jim Williams ‘Resource Management and Māori attitudes to water in southern New Zealand‛
(2006) 62 New Zealand Geographer 73 and Te Manaaki Taiao: Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga Cultural
Values and Uses of the Tukituki Catchment (2012) at 17.
40
See Waitangi Tribunal He Maunga Rongo: Report on Central North Island Claims (WAI 1200 Waitangi
Tribunal 2008) at 1251.
41
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 35.
42
See: Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 35; Waitangi Tribunal He Maunga Rongo: Report on Central
North Island Claims (WAI 1200 Waitangi Tribunal 2008) at 1251-1252; Waitangi Tribunal The
Whanganui River Report (WAI 167 Waitangi Tribunal 1999) at 23; and Waitangi Tribunal Te Ika Whenua
Rivers Report (WAI 212 Waitangi Tribunal 1998) at 84.
38
39
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Judge Acheson’s in his 1929 decision in respect of Lake Omāpere in Northland also reflected
this view:43
The bed of any lake is merely a part of that lake, and no juggling with words or ideas will
ever make it other than part of that lake. The Māori was and still is a direct thinker, and he
would see no more reason for separating a lake from its bed (as to the ownership thereof)
than he would see for separating the rocks and the soil that comprise a mountain. In fact,
in olden days he would have regarded it as rather a grim joke had any strangers asserted
that he did not possess the beds of his own land.
Similarly the Waitangi Tribunal in He Maunga Rongo noted that:44
Waters that are part of a water body such as a spring, lake, lagoon, or river were possessed
by Māori. In Māori thought, the water could not be divided out, as the taonga would be
meaningless without it … waters cannot be divided out and must be considered a
component part of that taonga. The issue in relation to water is about the holistic nature of
the resources in Māori custom and the relationships of the people with those resources.
The Māori view of water is therefore that it is linked to the deities of Māori creation, whakapapa
links water to human beings and water is an interconnected part of the environment that
cannot be considered in isolation.
Identity and Freshwater
Freshwater bodies such as rivers, lakes and streams play a central role in tribal and personal
identity.45 This occurs not only through whakapapa and genealogical connections to the
natural world but iwi history is also rife with stories about the origins or discovery of
waterbodies and these freshwater bodies may be recognised by iwi as a manifestation of
“tūpuna” or their great feats.46 Ben White writes that:47
In the case of Taupō ... Ngāti Tūwharetoa traditions about the beginnings of their associations
with the lake and its naming are centred upon the ancestor Tia. Similarly Te Arawa trace the
beginnings of their associations with the Rotorua lakes to the explorations of Ihenga. Ngā Puhi
hold that the actions of their ancestor Ngātikoro and his sons account for the origins of Lake
Omāpere. And the history of Waikaremoana is redolent with the traditions of Ngāti Kahungunu,
Ngāti Ruapani and Ngai Tūhoe that account for the origin of the lake and many of its geological
features.
Hikaia Amohia of Te Atiawa uses the following words referring to the Waitara River:48
My people personify the river as an entity allied to our ancestor Maruwaranui, with the spirit or
taniwha of the river a personification of the spirit of the river.
See Re Lake Omāpere (1929) 11 Bay of Islands MB 253.
See Waitangi Tribunal He Maunga Rongo: Report on Central North Island Claims (WAI 1200 Waitangi
Tribunal 2008) at pp 1251-1252.
45
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 49.
46
See Waitangi Tribunal Mōhaka River Report (WAI 119 Waitangi Tribunal 1992) at 10.
47
See Ben White Inland Waterways: Lakes, Rangahaua Whānui Series (Waitangi Tribunal, 1998) at
250-251.
48
See Waitangi Tribunal Report on the Motunui-Waitara Claim (WAI 6 Waitangi Tribunal 1983) at Part
6.
43
44
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Personal identity for Māori also stems from the ability to link oneself with an area and its
associated resources. Freshwater is an inherent part of this self-identification. In the case of
Ngāti Tūwharetoa, for example, Lake Taupō features in the following pepeha: 49
Ko Tongariro te maunga,
Ko Taupō te moana,
Ko Tūwharetoa te iwi,
Ko Te Heuheu te ariki.
This statement is a tribal proverb or saying, that is used to locate a person in both time and
space, acknowledging their long association with their mountain and river. All iwi have these
types of important associations with features of the physical world and they are a key elements
used to identify a person.50 As recognised by the Waitangi Tribunal in the Freshwater
Report:51
Using the name of a river or other waterbody to invoke identity comes from long and deep
association with a particular taonga, based not only on the physical importance of the
taonga to the sustenance and economic life of the people but also its metaphysical
significance to the tribe, often as an ancestor and living being.
Another example is in the Te Ika Whenua Rivers Report where the Tribunal notes that the
claimants identified themselves and established their relationship to their rivers by
whakapapa, whakatuaki and waiata. This included a version of the whakatauki establishing
the claimant’s relationships to their rivers:52
Ko Tawhiuau te maunga
Ko Rangitaiki te awa
Ko Tangiharuru te tangata
Tawhiuau is the mountain
Rangitaiki the river
Tangiharuru is the person
Rivers, lakes and streams are intimately bound to people through whakapapa and are a
fundamental tenant of Māori personal and tribal identity. A scoping report with regards to the
Rangitikei River in the Taihape region portrays this as follows: 53
Tūpuna Awa, the nurturing, cleansing, healing waters bringing life to every organism on the
land, is the cultural reminder of who we are, our identity as Māori, and the rights to claim
back what has been stripped away.
Freshwater bodies are living beings that simultaneously carry the identity and prestige of
ancestors and descendants through whakapapa, thereby promoting a continuing bond. 54
See Ben White Inland Waterways: Lakes, Rangahaua Whānui Series (Waitangi Tribunal, 1998) at
250.
50
For example the Waitangi Tribunal in describing Ngāti Pahauwera’s relationship with the river noted
that when Ngāti Pahauwera travel to another region, their link with the river is one of the key elements
identifying them. The Tribunal quoted the following: “For instance when you travel into another tribal
area and if your tribe is there with you, a Maori will always identify himself — my mountain, my river and
the man. That is the way of identifying ourselves. It is poetical, it is terrific, who else does it like that?
To Maori a river becomes a very, very important thing” (see in the Waitangi Tribunal Mōhaka River
Report (WAI 119 Waitangi Tribunal 1992) at 11).
51
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 57.
52
See Waitangi Tribunal Te Ika Whenua Rivers Report (WAI 212 Waitangi Tribunal 1998) at 9.
53
Cited in Te Manaaki Taiao: Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga Cultural Values and Uses of the Tukituki
Catchment (2012) at 18.
54
See Waitangi Tribunal Te Ika Whenua Rivers Report (WAI 212 Waitangi Tribunal 1998) at 86.
49
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The inherent connection with water is also expressed in the Māori language where the term
‘wai’ or water is used to evince the status of water across all stratum of Māori society. When
Māori meet for the time, one is asked “Nō wai koe?” which translates as where are you from?
Or more literally, from where do your waters flow? The Māori world view is there intrinsically
connected to the waters on many levels.
Freshwater as Taonga
The Waitangi Tribunal has repeatedly accepted evidence that waterways and waterbodies
including streams, rivers, lakes and geothermal resources are taonga of claimant hapū and
iwi groups.55 Different iwi, hapū and whānau groups each have their own specific stories and
accounts explaining their particular association with their waterbodies and why they are a
taonga to them. Specific examples of the importance of the particular expanses of water to
different iwi, hapū and whānau groups are set out further in this Part of the Report. Two
consistent themes that arise, however, are the physical and metaphysical value of
waterways.56 As stated by the Waitangi Tribunal in the Mōhaka River report:57
Ngā maunga and ngā awa are regarded as being taonga representing the spiritual and
physical mana of the iwi and for food resources providing for the sustenance of the iwi.
All waterbodies are highly prized taonga because they are a significant resource to tangata
whenua.58 Waterbodies are a source of survival and provider of life 59 and from the beginning
Māori have lived on, around and in tune with their waterways. 60 Rivers, streams, swamps,
estuaries and lakes were used prolifically by Māori. Some of the uses include:61

travel and communication;

food and fishing (including eel, herrings, freshwater crayfish, inanga (whitebait), mullet,
pātiki (flounder), kahawai, shellfish and waterfood);

irrigation;
55
See: Waitangi Tribunal Report on the Kaituna River Claim (WAI 4 Waitangi Tribunal 1984); Waitangi
Tribunal on The Pouakani Report (WAI 33 Waitangi Tribunal 1993); Waitangi Tribunal Mōhaka River
Report (WAI 119 Waitangi Tribunal 1992); Waitangi Tribunal The Whanganui River Report (WAI 167
Waitangi Tribunal 1999); and Waitangi Tribunal Te Ika Whenua Rivers Report (WAI 212 Waitangi
Tribunal 1998).
56
As said by the Waitangi Tribunal in the Waitangi Tribunal Te Ika Whenua Rivers Report (WAI 212
Waitangi Tribunal 1998) at 84 “Conceptually, a river is a taonga, a valuable food resource to those who
possess it, which carries its own separate mauri (life force) and is guarded by the taniwha that inhabit
it. The physical cannot be divorced from the metaphysical; the two are inseparable.”
57
See Waitangi Tribunal Mōhaka River Report (WAI 119 Waitangi Tribunal 1992) at 10.
58
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 49.
59
See Waitangi Tribunal Te Ika Whenua Energy Assets Report (WAI 212 Waitangi Tribunal 1993) at
2.4. where the Waitangi Tribunal describes the evidence of Cletus Maanu Paul of Ngāti Moewhare subtribe of Ngāti Manawa who them that his family and other families living on the banks of the river used
it "as a source for survival". To them "the river was a provider of life - he tino taonga (a very precious
gift)" that "provided water as well as food – eels."
60
Cited in Te Manaaki Taiao: Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga Cultural Values and Uses of the Tukituki
Catchment (2012) at 18.
61
See: Waitangi Tribunal Report on the Manukau Claim (WAI 8 Waitangi Tribunal 1998) at 6.7; Waitangi
Tribunal Te Ika Whenua Rivers Report (WAI 212 Waitangi Tribunal 1998).
Waitangi Tribunal Te Roroa Report (WAI 38 Waitangi Tribunal 1992); Re Lake Omāpere (1929) 11 Bay
of Islands MB 253 at 9, Cultural Values and Te Manaaki Taiao: Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga Cultural
Values and Uses of the Tukituki Catchment (2012) at 14.
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
drinking;

cooking;

washing and bathing;

healing both body and spirit; and

blessing and protection.
Waterbodies also have a metaphysical element to them. Judge Acheson’s decision as to the
ownership of Lake Omāpere to Māori reflects this metaphysical element: 62
A lake was something that stirred the hidden forces in him. It was . . . something much more grand
and noble than a mere sheet of water covering a muddy bed. To him it was a striking landscape
feature possessed of a ‘mauri’ or ‘indwelling life principle’ which bound it closely to the fortunes
and destiny of his tribe.
Waterways and waterbodies are also said to have mauri, or a vital essence; the spark of life
kindled at the conception of all things.63 A report done on the Cultural Values and Uses of the
Tukituki Catchment sets out that:64
A river is a living being. It has a mauri – life force – that weaves through the people, connecting
the people with the river. Because it nurtures and sustains them it was given the utmost respect.
Any damage done to the river is harm done to the mauri of the river and harm done to the people.
The importance of not altering mauri presents itself in the classifications given to water in
various states. Waiora (water of life) especially rainwater or tears can often rejuvenate a
damaged mauri whereas waikino (bad water) including dangerous stretches of water or water
that has become physically or spiritually polluted has a negative mauri. 65 Waimate (dead
water) is water that has become metaphysically dead through the complete loss of its mauri
and it cannot support humanity or human food.66 Loss of mauri can occur through biological
pollution such as a discharge of contaminants or effluent into freshwater resources, but also
through the mixing of waters, which results in ‘cultural pollution’.
The preservation of mauri is of paramount importance and the presence of mauri in all things
entrusts an obligation to appreciate and respect that resource. The link between kaitiaki and
mauri is explained by Mr Cairns in his evidence for the Waitangi Tribunal in the Freshwater
Report:67
As kaitiaki of the Waikato River (or the section in their domain), the Pouakani people have
an obligation to maintain the mauri of the river. The mauri is the life force of the river. This
includes taking care of the physical and spiritual health of the river.
See Re Lake Omāpere (1929) 11 Bay of Islands MB 253 at 8.
See Waitangi Tribunal Report on the Manukau Claim (WAI 8 Waitangi Tribunal 1998) at 7.2.
64
See Te Manaaki Taiao: Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga Cultural Values and Uses of the Tukituki
Catchment (2012) at 17.
65
See Jim Williams‚ Resource Management and Māori attitudes to water in southern New Zealand‛
(2006) 62 New Zealand Geographer 73 at 75.
66
See Jim Williams‚ Resource Management and Māori attitudes to water in southern New Zealand‛
(2006) 62 New Zealand Geographer 73 at 75.
67
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 55.
62
63
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Maintaining mauri has both physical and spiritual elements. For the Pouakani people the
physical dimension of maintaining mauri includes using the river responsibly so that it remains
for future generations.68 The spiritual aspect was ensuring that tikanga was followed.
Authority and Control of Freshwater: Kaitiakitanga, Mana and Rangatiratanga
The principle of ‘Rangatiratanga’ is incorporated into the Māori text of the Treaty of Waitangi
under Article II. This illustrates that the Crown in 1840 recognised Māori authority and control
over their landscapes.69 Rangatiratanga has been defined by the Waitangi Tribunal as ‘full
chieftainship’, ‘tribal self-management’, and ‘full authority, status and prestige as regards
Māori possessions and interests’.70
Mana is a similar concept to rangatiratanga. In the Manukau Report the Waitangi Tribunal
noted that the two concepts were “really inseparable”.71 The Tribunal went on to say that both
mana and rangatiratanga denote authority, however mana “personalises the authority and ties
it to status and dignity”. 72 You cannot have one without the other.
The Tribunal in the Freshwater Report noted that authority is maintained and expressed in a
number of ways: by customary use, by physical occupation, but most importantly by
whānaungatanga and by caring for relationships within and between tribal groups. 73
Mana and rangatiratanga are also linked to kaitiakitanga. The first two concepts are said to
be pre-conditions for the latter. As indicated by Roimata Minhinnick, who provided evidence
for Ngāti Te Ata in the Freshwater Report, rangatiratanga and mana are tribal authority and
control and includes the kaitiaki obligation to care for the resource and the people. 74 Although
kaitiakitanga is often described as ‘guardianship’ the concept extends beyond that simple
definition. As seen in its cultural context, it is one part of an interconnected value system.
Kawharu states that kaitiakitanga incorporates a “nexus of beliefs that permeates the spiritual,
environmental and human spheres” and embraces “social protocols associated with
hospitality, reciprocity and obligation (manaaki, tuku and utu).75 Kaitiakitanga carries with it
an obligation not only to care for the natural world but also for each successive generation. 76
68
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 55.
69
See Maia Wikaira “Maori Ownership of Freshwater: Legal Paradox or Potential?” (LLB (Hons)
Dissertation, University of Otago, 2010) at 25.
70
See Maia Wikaira “Maori Ownership of Freshwater: Legal Paradox or Potential?” (LLB (Hons)
Dissertation, University of Otago, 2010) at 25.
Waitangi Tribunal The Ngāi Tahu Report (WAI 27 Waitangi Tribunal 1992) at 4.6.6 – 4.6.7; Waitangi
Tribunal Mōhaka River Report (WAI 119 Waitangi Tribunal 1992) at 5.22; Waitangi Tribunal Report of
the Waitangi Tribunal on the Manukau Claim (WAI 8 Wellington 1985) at 67.
71
See Waitangi Tribunal Report of the Waitangi Tribunal on the Manukau Claim (WAI 8 Wellington
1985) at 8.3.
72
See Waitangi Tribunal Report of the Waitangi Tribunal on the Manukau Claim (WAI 8 Wellington
1985) at 8.3.
73
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 60.
74
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 60.
75
See Merata Kawharu “Kaitiakitanga: A Maori anthropological perspective of the Maori socioenvironmental ethic or resource management” (2000) 110 Journal of the Polynesian Society 349 at
353.
76
See Selwyn Hayes “Defining Kaitiakitanga and the Resource Management Act 1991” (1998) 8
Auckland University Law Review 893 at 894.
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Māori are kaitiaki of wai and waterways. As articulated in the Ngāi Tahu Freshwater Policy
Statement: 77
Water is central to all Māori life. It is a taonga left by ancestors to provide and sustain life.
It is for the present generation as tangata tiaki, to ensure that the taonga is available for
future generations in as good as, if not better quality.
Kaitiakitanga manifests itself in many different forms legal and non-legal. A potent example
in the water context is described in the Waitangi Tribunal Kaituna River Report where Tamati
Wharehuia, an elder of his iwi and one of a long line of Chiefs who had lived by the Kaituna
River for generations gave evidence at the hearing:78
He told us, as the others had done, of the importance of the river, of its prominent place
in tribal history, of the events that had occurred from time to time and from place to place
down the whole course of the waterway. He urged upon us the need to protect it from
harm and likened the river to his own people whom he had a duty to protect from harm.
Then, in a ringing voice he brandished his tokotoko (staff) and said to us:
"...If this scheme goes ahead I want to make it clear that I will myself have to take direct
action. I will take the patu that has been handed down to me from my ancestors
generation by generation and do injury to stop this thing. After that the law must take its
course with me, but that is beside the point..."
In this instance the kaitiakitanga obligation overrode any legal consequences he might have
suffered.
Another contemporary example is that the kaitiaki can also be a legal trustee. For example,
in relation to Poroti Springs the Court appointed trustees, of the land block in which Poroti
Springs are contained, are also kaitiaki of the springs in a long line of kaitiaki.79 Before 1895
rāhui and tapu were the sole forms of management. But then a legal reserve was created to
protect the springs. That allowed trustees to deal with the water from a position of legal
strength. Poroti springs trustees have taken a number of fights to court over the use of their
water by others.80
Rangatiratanga, mana and kaitiakitanga indicate a perception of authority and control. In
some instances it has been accepted that these concepts can be translated into proprietary
rights and interests in freshwater bodies. The thesis of Maia Wikaira comprehensively
explains the differences and tensions between the English concept of ownership and tikanga
and the effects of this.81
See Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu “Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Freshwater Policy” (accessed 15 June
2015), <http://ecan.govt.nz/publications/Plans/ngai-tahu-freshwater-policy.pdf> at 5.
78
Waitangi Tribunal: Report of the Waitangi Tribunal on the Kaituna River Claim (WAI 4 Waitangi
Tribunal 1984) at 321.
79
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 58.
80
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 58.
81
See Maia Wikaira “Maori Ownership of Freshwater: Legal Paradox or Potential?” (LLB (Hons)
Dissertation, University of Otago, 2010) at 28-39. Ms Wikaira explores the Western view of ownership
and examines it against the tikanga in an attempt to understand the Māori claim to ownership of
freshwater in accordance with tikanga. At [32]-[33] Ms Wikaira concludes that: “Ostensibly tikanga wai
Māori does have a number of commonalities with the liberal concept of ownership … However, the
underlying rationale of liberal ownership and tikanga wai Māori can never convincingly equate despite
their commonalities. Ownership is premised on individual identity, central to that fundamental tenet of
exclusive possession. Framed in the language of rights and liberties, it is a distinctly anthropocentric
concept. By contrast tikanga wai Māori concerns collective identity and reciprocity … Thus at the heart
77
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Rangatiratanga: Māori Proprietary Rights and Interests in Freshwater
Based on the guarantees provided pursuant to Te Tiriti o Waitangi 1840, the Waitangi Tribunal
has repeatedly confirmed that Māori have proprietary rights and interests in their freshwater
bodies. For example in the Waitangi Tribunal Kaituna River Report 1984 the Tribunal held
that the Kaituna River was owned and had been owned for many generations by Ngai Pikiao
and Te Atiawa. Similarly in the Mōhaka River Report 1992 the Waitangi Tribunal found that
as applied to the Mōhaka River and Ngāti Pāhauwera rangatiratanga: 82
…denotes something more than ownership or guardianship of the river but something less
than the right of exclusive use. It means that the iwi and hapū of the rohe through which
the river flows should retain an effective degree of control over the river and its resources
as long as they wish to do so.
In both the Ika Whenua Rivers Report and the Whanganui River Report the Waitangi Tribunal
found that Māori have customary rights, sometimes equivalent to English proprietary rights in
the Rangitaiki River, the Whirinaki River, the Whēao River and the Whanganui River (and its
tributaries) and that the Crown breached the Treaty in respect of those river rights. 83
In the Ika Whenua Rivers Report the Tribunal found that whilst tino rangatiratanga should not
be confused with modern day ‘ownership’ that Te Ika Whenua’s customary rights entitled them
to full use and control of their rivers and enabled them to enlarge and develop uses as time
and circumstances dictated. The Tribunal went on to find that this full exclusive use and
control of their taonga, their rivers, means that at 1840 they were entitled to have conferred
on them a proprietary interest in the rivers that could be practically encapsulated within the
legal notion of ownership of the waters thereof. The Tribunal went on to say that while the
interest was akin to ownership at 1840 that the Treaty anticipated a sharing of resources upon
which settlement depended, such as rivers.84
These ‘ownership’ type findings have also been translated into a lake context. In the He
Maunga Rongo, Central North Island Claims Report 2008 the Tribunal found that Lake Taupō
waters and fisheries were taonga that were exclusively possessed by Ngāti Tūwharetoa. 85
This exclusive possession, together with authority over, a cultural and spiritual relationship
with, and a responsibility to care for taonga, were elements of the tino rangatiratanga
Tūwharetoa exercised.86
This approach of recognising that Māori have rights and interests in freshwater bodies was
confirmed in the Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI2358). On the issue of ownership the Tribunal confirmed that “te tino rangatiratanga was
more than ownership: it encompassed the autonomy of hapū to arrange and manage their
own affairs in partnership with the Crown.”87 The Tribunal agreed that both Treaty texts
support a finding of ownership at 1840 and tino rangatiratanga was the closet cultural
of each conception of ‘property’ lie fundamentally different values that contribute to the very existence
of each world view.” Ms Wikaira however concludes that Māori have a conception of ownership, albeit
in a different form and function to liberal ownership, cannot be denied (at [40]).
82
See Waitangi Tribunal Mōhaka River Report (WAI 119 Waitangi Tribunal 1992) at 64.
83
See Waitangi Tribunal Te Ika Whenua Rivers Report (WAI 212 Waitangi Tribunal 1998) at 135-136
and Waitangi Tribunal The Whanganui River Report (WAI 167 Waitangi Tribunal 1999) at 338-339.
84
See Waitangi Tribunal Te Ika Whenua Rivers Report (WAI 212 Waitangi Tribunal 1998) at 126.
85
See Waitangi Tribunal He Maunga Rongo: Report on Central North Island Claims (WAI 1200 Waitangi
Tribunal 2008) at 1286.
86
See Waitangi Tribunal He Maunga Rongo: Report on Central North Island Claims (WAI 1200 Waitangi
Tribunal 2008) at 1286.
87
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 76.
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21
expression of full blown ownership in 1840.88 The Tribunal added that tino rangatiratanga is
“a standing qualification of the Crown’s kawanatanga”.89
The Tribunal did recognise that the Treaty changed the relationship of Māori with water in
three ways:90
1. the Treaty enabled non-Māori to settlement in New Zealand therefore Māori consented
that settlers would have access to and use of New Zealand’s waters;
2. the Treaty gave the Crown a right to govern which entails balancing interests of the
nation and environment. But Treaty rights cannot be balanced out of existence; and
3. the Treaty conferred a development right on Māori as part of the quid pro quo for
accepting settlement.
The Tribunal concluded with the generic finding that Māori had rights and interests in their
water bodies for which the closest English equivalent in 1840 was ownership rights, and that
such right were confirmed, guaranteed, and protected by the Treaty of Waitangi, save to the
extent that there was an expectation in the Treaty that the waters would be shared with the
incoming settlers.91
Tikanga-a-iwi: examples of iwi specific relationships with freshwater
The following are some examples of the relationship that selected iwi have to particular
freshwater bodies. This part initially describes the significance of the waterbody to the iwi and
then comments on how that relationship is currently manifested. We note that all iwi groups
will have significant bodies of water however we have chosen to focus on a select few. We
also note that we have relied upon publicly available information to provide these examples in
summary form.
Whanganui whānau, hapū, iwi
The Whanganui river is the largest navigable river in New Zealand. It is held for its entire
length by Te Atihaunui-a-Paparangi.92 It was of such central importance to the tribe that it has
been the subject of a long history of conflict, petitions, inquiries and litigation in the courts by
the Whanganui people seeking to have their rights to the river recognised. 93
The Whanganui River Tribunal Report (Waitangi Tribunal Report, 1999) highlights the
importance of the Whanganui River to Whanganui iwi, stating:94
It is necessary to consider how Māori saw and related to the river, recalling again the
philosophy of their place in the natural order, and the centrality of the river to everyday lives
88
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 76.
89
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 77.
90
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 77 – 79.
91
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 81.
92
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 47.
93
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 47.
94
See Waitangi Tribunal The Whanganui River Report (WAI 167 Waitangi Tribunal 1999) at 36.
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22
... It has been a home for a numerous people from immemorial time, but a home that was
built around a river life. The region was marginal for major food crops, but the river, with its
eels, fish, freshwater shellfish, and waterfowl, provided the staples.
The river was also the pathway to the sea, and the roadway that knitted the people spread
along its banks into a single entity. ... Small settlements were strung along the entire length
of the river... Around the river had been woven many stories and beliefs. For the Atihaunui
people, the river is a doctor, a priest, a larder, a highway, a moat to protect their cliff-top
pa, and, with the cliffs, ...when the claimants spoke of the river, or referred to its mana,
wairua (spirit), or mauri, they might in fact have been referring not just to the river proper
but to the whole river system, the associated cliffs, hills, river flats, lakes, swamps,
tributaries, and all other things that serve to show its character and form...
The River was, as the Tribunal said in its interim report, ‘the aortic artery, the central bloodline
of the one heart’.95
The following statement that appears in Tūtohu Whakatupua, a Deed of Settlement between
Whanganui Iwi and the Crown, also encapsulates the relationship of Whanganui to the river:96
E rere kau mai te Awa nui
Mai i te Kahui Maunga ki Tangaroa
Ko au te Awa, ko te Awa ko au
The English interpretation is “the Great River flows from the Mountains to the Sea. I am the
River, and the River is me. This statement encompasses many layers of meaning. It
recognises that the awa is an indivisible and living whole from the mountains to the sea and
the now famous maxim “ko au te Awa, ko te Awa ko au (I am the River and the River is me)
demonstrates that identity is intimately intertwined with the river and the interconnectedness
between human and the environment.97
The Waitangi Tribunal recognised that Whanganui Māori possessed an ancestral taonga
consisting of water, bed, banks, fisheries, plants, taniwha and a mauri. They possessed and
owned the water until it “naturally escaped to the sea”.
The relationship of Whanganui Māori and how this relationship is being recognised through
the settlement of the historical grievances of the Whanganui Iwi is detailed in Part Four of the
Report.
Waikato Tainui
Noo taatou te awa. Noo te awa taatou. E kore e taea te wehe te iwi o Waikato me te awa. He
taonga tuku iho naa ngaa tuupuna. E whakapono ana maatou ko taa maatou, he tiaki i taua
taonga moo ngaa uri whakatupu.
We belong to the river and the river belongs to us. Waikato people and the river cannot be
separated. It is a treasure that has been passed down by the ancestors. We believe that it is
our responsibility to look after our treasure (the river) for future generations.
Robert Te Kotahi Mahuta 197598
The Waitangi Tribunal in its early report on the Manukau Harbour recognised the extremely
high importance and value given to the Waikato River by the Tainui tribes recognising that it
95
See Waitangi Tribunal The Whanganui River Report (WAI 167 Waitangi Tribunal 1999) at 38.
See clause 1.1 of The Deed of Settlement, signed on 30 August 2012, between the Crown and
Whanganui Iwi.
97
See Linda Te Ahu “Rukuruku Whakatupua Te Mana o te Awa Tupua – Upholding the Mana of the
Whanganui River” (March 2014) Maori Law Review 1.
98
See Preamble of the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Act 2010.
96
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is a symbol of the tribe’s existence; that the river is deeply embedded in tribal and individual
consciousness.99 Each bend in the river has its own spirit as encapsulated in the saying:
Waikato-taniwha-rau
He piko, he taniwha
He piko, he taniwha.
Waikato of a hundred taniwha
At every bend a taniwha can be found.
The significance of the Waikato River to Waikato Tainui is further set out in a statement in the
Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Act 2010 (the Waikato River
Settlement Act):100
The Waikato River is our tūpuna (ancestor) which has mana (spiritual authority and power)
and in turn represents the mana and mauri (life force) of Waikato-Tainui. The Waikato River
is a single indivisible being that flows from Te Taheke Hukahuka to Te Puuaha o Waikato
(the mouth) and includes its waters, banks and beds (and all minerals under them) and its
streams, waterways, tributaries, lakes, aquatic fisheries, vegetation, flood plains, wetlands,
islands, springs, water column, airspace, and substratum as well as its metaphysical being.
Our relationship with the Waikato River, and our respect for it, gives rise to our
responsibilities to protect te mana o te Awa and to exercise our mana whakahaere in
accordance with long established tikanga to ensure the wellbeing of the river. Our
relationship with the river and our respect for it lies at the heart of our spiritual and physical
wellbeing, and our tribal identity and culture
Similarly in the Deed of Settlement in Relation to the Waikato-River signed on 17 December
2009 between the Crown and Waikato-Tainui it states:101
Respect for te mana o te awa (the spiritual authority, protective power and prestige of the
Waikato River) is at the heart of the relationship between the tribe and their ancestral River.
Waikato-Tainui regard their River with reverence and love. It gave them their name and is
the source of their tribal identity. Over many generations, Waikato-Tainui have developed
tikanga (values, ethics governing conduct) which embody their profound respect for the
Waikato River and all life within it. The Waikato River sustains the people physically and
spiritually. It brings them peace in times of stress, relief from illness and pain, and cleanses
and purifies their bodies and souls from the many problems that surround them. Spiritually,
to Waikato-Tainui, the Waikato River is constant, enduring and perpetual.
Therefore, for Waikato-Tainui, the river and the people are one and the same. In fact it is
from the river that the tribal name “Waikato” is derived. The name was ascribed by the captain
of the Tainui canoe, Hoturoa, who remarked upon lively waters chopping against the side of
his canoe.102
Waikato-Tainui have made public statements of their authority over the Waikato River from
the time they first become concerned that the Crown might claim authority over it. For
example, in late 1862, Patara Te Tuhi, editor of the Kiingitanga newspaper Te Hokioi, asserted
tribal authority over the River in these words: “E hara a Waikato awa i a te kuini, erangi no
ngaa Maaori anake”. (The Waikato River does not belong to the Queen of England, it belongs
only to Māori.)103
99
See Waitangi Tribunal Report on the Manukau Claim (WAI 8 Waitangi Tribunal 1998) at 72.
See Section 8(3) of the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Act 2010.
101
See Clause 2.42.
102
See Linda Te Aho “Indigenous Challenges to Enhance Freshwater Governance and Management
in Aotearoa New Zealand – The Waikato River Settlement” (2009) 20 WL 285.
103
See Clause 4 of the Preamble to the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement
Act 2010.
100
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One of the key concepts embraced by Waikato-Tainui in relation to the river is Mana
Whakahaere. The preamble to the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River)
Settlement Act 2010 states:
Mana whakahaere embodies the authority that Waikato-Tainui and other River tribes have
established in respect of the Waikato River over many generations, to exercise control,
access to and management of the Waikato River and its resources in accordance with
tikanga (values, ethics and norms of conduct). For Waikato-Tainui, mana whakahaere has
long been exercised under the mana of the Kiingitanga:
The contemporary means by which the relationship of Waikato-Tainui has been recognised
by the Crown is in the far reaching and complex Waikato river settlement embodied in the
Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Act 2010 (the Waikato-Tainui
River Settlement) that is said to “usher in a new era that promises enhanced governance”.104
The key aspects of the river settlement are:

a vision and strategy document which has special and unique legislative status as the
primary direction-setting document for the river;

a co-governance entity – the Waikato River Authority; and

other mechanisms such as joint management agreements for those iwi with interests
in the Waikato River.
The Waikato River settlement arrangements are analysed, in the context of iwi and kaitiaki as
decision-makers for particular waterbodies in their rohe, in Part Two of this Report.
Incorporated into the Waikato River Settlement Act and the Vision and Strategy document
developed by the Guardians Establishment Committee is the whakatauki: 105
Tooku awa koiora me oona pikonga he kura tangihia mo te mataamuri
The river of life, each curve more beautiful than the last
These words are taken from the maimai aroha, or lament, by Kiingi Taawhiao, the second
Maaori King, in which he recorded his adoration for the Waikato River and the significance of
the river as a treasure for all generations.106 These visionary words are being used by the
Guardians Establishment Committee to inspire the actions that will be necessary to restore
the health and wellbeing of the Waikato River.
See Linda Te Aho “Indigenous Challenges to Enhance Freshwater Governance and Management
in Aotearoa New Zealand – The Waikato River Settlement” (2009) 20 WL 285.
105
See Guardians Establishment Committee “Restoring and Protecting the Health and Wellbeing of the
Waikato
River
(Vision
and
Strategy
for
the
Waikato
River)
available
at
<http://www.waikatoriver.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Vision-and-Strategy.pdf> at 6 and
Schedule 2, clause 1 of the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Act 2010.
106
See Guardians Establishment Committee “Restoring and Protecting the Health and Wellbeing of the
Waikato
River
(Vision
and
Strategy
for
the
Waikato
River)
available
at
<http://www.waikatoriver.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Vision-and-Strategy.pdf> at 6.
104
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Ngāti Kahungunu
One example of a significant waterbody for Ngāti Kahungungu is the Tukituki river catchment
and its associated tributaries. In a report by Te Manaaki Taiao107 on Cultural Values and uses
of the Tukituki Catchment they noted:108
The Tukituki river is a tūpuna (ancestor). It is integral to, and provides the compelling
background to, the web of whakapapa connections shared by the different hapū along its
banks. It provides the hapū with a sense of identity and interconnectedness as it runs
through their lives. The whakapapa within the river and its many tributaries is reflected in
the whakapapa and whānaungatanga of the people it provided for.
The Tukituki awa was once a ‘river of villages’ and a ‘highway’ connecting whānau to their
mahinga kai, to other whānau, and to trade and prosperity.
Ngāti Kahungungu have not yet settled their comprehensive historical Treaty of Waitangi
grievances with the Crown. However, throughout history they have maintained their
connection to the Tukituki River and continued to exercise their kaitiakitanga obligations. This
was evident in the engagement and concerns expressed by Ngāti Kahungungu Iwi
Incorporated and others representing hapū and marae to the “Tukituki Catchment Proposal”,
a proposal of ‘national significance’ that included the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
Investment Company’s application for resource consents and a notice of requirement for the
Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme (RWSS). The RWSS involves the construction of an 83
metre high dam that would create a 90 million cubic metre storage reservoir and would have
a significant impact on the Tukituki River.
The submissions to the Board of Inquiry that considered the Tukituki Catchment Proposal in
2013 are rife with stories about the connections that Ngāti Kahungungu, their hapū, marae
and whānau have to the Tukituki river catchment as well as their concerns for their river. For
example, Ngatai Huata in her submission expressed her concerns on behalf of Waipatu marae
as including:109
(a) The negative impacts on the māuri of the Tukituki caused by the effect of the RWSS [the
Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme] on the flow of the river, the increase in paru and pollution,
which will affect the mauri of the people of Waipatu marae.
(b) The Tukituki river will no longer serve as a mahinga kai because the RWSS will have negative
effect on the fish stocks, including tuna.
(c) Our whānau will no longer enjoy the same relationship with the Tukituki that we have. Our
mokopuna (grandchildren) will not be able to spend the days playing in the river as I did when
I was a child, nor will we be able to receive sustenance for the whānau, hapū through mahinga
kai gathered from the Tukituki River….
107
See The Cultural Heritage, Environmental and Community Development Unit of Te Taiwhenua o
Heretaunga.
108
See Te Manaaki Taiao: Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga Cultural Values and Uses of the Tukituki
Catchment (2012) at 10.
109
See Statement of Evidence of Ngatai Huata on Behalf of Waipatu Marae in the Matter of a Board of
Inquiry appointed under s149J of the Resource Management Act 1991 to consider a plan change
request and applications for a notice of requirement and resource consents made by Hawke’s Bay
Regional Council and Hawke’s Bay Regional Investment Company Ltd in relation to the Tukituki
Catchment
Proposal
(October
2013)
available
at
<http://www.epa.govt.nz/resourcemanagement/NSP000028/NSP000028_Ngāti%20Kahungunu%20Iwi%20Incorporated%20and%20oth
ers%20Evidence%20Ngatai%20Huata.pdf> at 5.
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As a result of the concerns expressed by iwi witnesses, particularly with reference to the
recognition of mana whenua rights and the restoration of the mauri of the river, a policy was
evolved during the inquiry process. This policy included the creation of an Engagement Plan,
the development of an Implementation Plan in collaboration with iwi, hapū and other
stakeholders, and steps to enable the assessment and monitoring of the cultural values and
mauri of the Tukituki Catchment.
Ngāti Porou
One example of a significant freshwater body to Ngāti Porou is the Waiapu River. The Waiapu
River and its tributaries are considered to provide the lifeblood of Ngāti Porou and it is of great
cultural and spiritual significance to the iwi. 110 The Waiapu River is referenced when reciting
tribal pepeha, songs are composed about it, waiata are sung in its honour and Ngāti Porou
tell stories about its history.111
Statements of Association in the 2010 Ngāti Porou Deed of Settlement illustrate the particular
cultural, spiritual, historical and traditional association that Ngāti Porou have with the Waiapu
River, the Uawa River, the Turanganui River, the Waimata River and associated tributaries.
In relation to the Waiapu River the Deed of Settlement states: 112
The Waiapu River is a symbol of Ngāti Porou identity as expressed in the pepeha, "Ko
Hikurangi te maunga, ko Waiapu te awa, ko Ngāti Porou te iwi. It is of immense spiritual,
cultural and traditional significance to Ngāti Porou.”
Ngāti Porou tradition relates that there has been an undisturbed relationship with the
Waiapu River since the time of Maui. Ngāti Porou hapū continue to occupy the lands within
the Waiapu Valley, Te Riu o Waiapu, and exercise kaitiakitanga for the river and its
tributaries. The numerous hapū traditionally associated with the lands alongside the
Waiapu River have always been responsible for protecting the mauri of the river.
The Waiapu River drains a catchment of approximately 1,685 square kilometres. It flows in
a north-easterly direction and enters the Pacific Ocean near Rangitukia. The tributaries of
the Waiapu River include the Tapuwaeroa, Mata, Mangaoporo, Poroporo, Wairoa,
Maraehara rivers and the Paoaruku stream. There are extensive Ngāti Porou historical and
cultural associations attaching to these waterways as well.
The Waiapu River has been a source of sustenance for Ngāti Porou hapū, providing water,
and various species of fish, including kahawai. The kahawai fishing techniques practised
at the mouth of the Waiapu River are sacred activities distinct to the Waiapu.
Taniwha are known to dwell in the river. Kotuwainuku and Kotuwairangi, and other taniwha
such as Ohinewaiapu, protect the river and, in turn, the Ngāti Porou hapū of the Waiapu
Valley.
The saying ―Waiapu Koka huhua, refers to the Waiapu Valley which is famous for its many
female leaders of the Ngāti Porou hapū and iwi. The Waiapu River is central to the hapū of
Te Riu o Waiapu and serves to link and unite those on one side of the river with those on
the other side – ―tena paparinga ki tena paparinga.
See
Te
Rūnanga
o
Ngāti
Porou
“The
Waiapu
River
Restoration”
<http://www.Ngātiporou.com/article/waiapu-river-restoration-0>.
111
See Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou “Ko Waiapu Te Awa: Restoring The Waiapu River” Nati Link (April
2014)
at
5
available
at:
http://www.Ngātiporou.com/sites/default/files/publication/download/TRN005%20Nati%20Link%20April
%202014_WEB.pdf at 5.
112
See Deed of Settlement between Ngāti Porou and the Crown signed on 22 December 2010
Documents Schedule at 1.
110
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In the Ngāti Porou Claims Settlement Act 2012 the Crown makes a statutory
acknowledgement of this association.113 The purpose of this statutory acknowledgement, in
summary, is to:114

require relevant consent authorities to have regard to the statutory acknowledgement;

require relevant consent authorities to forward summaries of resource consent
applications, or copies of notices of applications to Ngāti Porou; and

to enable Ngāti Porou to cite the statutory acknowledgements as evidence of the
association of Ngāti Porou with the relevant statutory area.
Ngāi Tahu
In terms of the importance of water to Ngāi Tahu, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu have produced a
Freshwater Policy Statement. This statement describes in general terms Ngāi Tahu’s
association with freshwater resources. Some of the key points that demonstrate the
importance of wai to Ngāi Tahu:115

Water plays a unique role in the traditional economy and culture of Ngāi Tahu.

Water is a taonga.

Water is important because its association with mahinga kai that is a cornerstone of
Ngāi Tahu existence and culture. Survival was dependent on knowledge of mahinga
kai and healthy waterbodies are a direct source of mahinga kai.
Ngāi Tahu also have co-management type arrangements over Te Waihora (Lake Ellersmere).
They were created before the Waikato River arrangements and, in some ways, are viewed as
not as strong an arrangement.
Ngāti Tūwharetoa
In Ngāti Tūwharetoa’s view the Taupō waters are a system of their lakes and rivers which
jointly and severally are taonga, tūpuna and whole of resource entities. 116 They are part of the
physical and spiritual sustenance of Ngāti Tūwharetoa and their whānaunga that border Lake
Taupō.117
Ngāti Tūwharetoa claim absolute rights of control and authority or rangatiratanga over the
water resources alongside corresponding obligations to conserve, nurture and protect the
resources.118 The Waitangi Tribunal in He Maunga Rongo recognised that Lake Taupō and
fisheries were a taonga, exclusively possessed by Ngāti Tūwharetoa and that they had a
rangatiratanga over the taonga.119
113
See section 44.
See section 46.
115
See Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu “Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Freshwater Policy”
<http://ecan.govt.nz/publications/Plans/ngai-tahu-freshwater-policy.pdf> at 8, 22.
116
See Jacinta Ruru The Legal Voice of Maori in Freshwater Governance. A Literature Review (Lincoln
Land Care Research, 2009) at 64.
117
See Waitangi Tribunal He Maunga Rongo: Report on Central North Island Claims (WAI 1200
Waitangi Tribunal 2008) at 1281.
118
See Waitangi Tribunal He Maunga Rongo: Report on Central North Island Claims (WAI 1200
Waitangi Tribunal 2008) at 1279.
119
See Waitangi Tribunal He Maunga Rongo: Report on Central North Island Claims (WAI 1200
Waitangi Tribunal 2008) at 1286.
114
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The unique way in which the Ngāti Tūwharetoa relationship to their taonga has been
recognised is analysed in Part Four of this Report.
Te Arawa
Clause 2 of the Preamble of the Te Arawa Lakes Settlement Act 2006 states that in 1840,
lakes Ngāhewa, Ngāpouri, Ōkareka, Ōkaro, Ōkataina, Rerewhakaaitu, Rotoehu, Rotoiti,
Rotomā, Rotomahana, Rotorua, Tarawera, Tikitapu, and Tutaeinanga provided food, shelter,
economic resources, and primary transport routes for Te Arawa. To Te Arawa, the lakes were
taonga, and their relationship with the lakes and environs was, and continues to be, the
foundation of their identity, cultural integrity, wairua, tikanga, and kawa.
Toby Curtis the Chairman of the Te Arawa Lakes Trust states that:120
The lakes are part of us. Every nook and cranny we have a name for, they are named after
prominent ancestors and those names are still used today as though they are still living.
As part of the Te Arawa Lakes Settlement Act 2006 the lakebeds were vested in the
Trustees of the Te Arawa Lakes Trust to receive and manage on behalf of Te Arawa.
Ngā Puhi
In 1913 Ngā Puhi first tried to use the Court to secure title to one of its freshwater taonga Lake
Omāpere.121 In 1929 Judge Acheson heard the case and recognised that Lake Omāpere was
effectively occupied and owned by the Ngā Puhi Tribe in accordance with the requirements of
ancient Māori custom and usage. Judge Acheson noted the indivisibility of the lake, how it
possessed a ‘mauri’ and that to Māori it was considered something that added rank and mana
and was highly prized. He recognised that for hundreds of years Ngā Puhi was in undisputed
possession of Lake Omāpere and lived around or close to its shores. “Great numbers of the
Ngā Puhi, must have grown up within sight of Omāpere’s waters, and have regarded the lake
as one of the treasured tribal possessions.”122
Acheson went on to find that according to custom the supreme test of ownership was
possession and occupation. In short, he found that Ngā Puhi used and occupied Lake
Omāpere for all purposes for which a lake could reasonably be used and occupied by them
and that Ngā Puhi owned and occupied Lake Omāpere in 1840 and their title had not been
extinguished.123
The contemporary legal manifestation of this traditional ownership is that Lake Omāpere
became a Māori Reservation and a trust order under section 438 of the Māori Affairs Act 1953
for this Māori reservation was finalised in 1956.124
Tikanga-a-hapū specific examples
Ngāti Pikiao (Te Arawa)
See Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes Programme “Vision and Strategy for the Lakes of the Rotorua District”
available at http://www.rotorualakes.co.nz/vdb/document/533.
121
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 39-40.
122
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 39-40.
123
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 40.
124
See Waitangi Tribunal Stage 1 Report on the National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claim
(WAI 2358 Waitangi Tribunal 2012) at 42.
120
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The Waitangi Tribunal Kaituna River Report 1984 dealt with a scheme to build a pipeline from
the Rotorua Wastewater Treatment Plant to the Kaituna River. 125 Ngāti Pikiao strongly
opposed this scheme on the grounds that pumping sewerage into the Kaituna River was
objectionable on medical, social, spiritual and cultural grounds.
In the course of addressing whether the proposed pipeline was inconsistent with the Treaty of
Waitangi the tribunal found that Ngāti Pikiao and Te Arawa owned the Kaituna River in 1849
and had done so for many generations.126 In coming to this view the Waitangi Tribunal relied
particularly on the evidence of Te Irirangi Cairo Tiakiawa who recited the whakapapa, history
and territorial authority of Ngāti Pikiao which established them as the owners of these lakes
and the river in question.127 The Tribunal recommended that the pipeline scheme should be
abandoned and an alternative option pursued.128 This recommendation was adopted by the
Crown.
Te Ika Whenua
The Waitangi Tribunal in the Ika Whenua Rivers Report 1998 found that the three Te Ika
Whenua rivers (Rangitaiki, Whēao and Whirinaki) are awa and living taonga of the hapū of Te
Ika Whenua. The rivers were indivisible and could be ‘owned’ in Māori terms as a taonga, a
valuable food resource to those who possess it, which carries its own separate mauri (life
force) and is guarded by the taniwha that inhabit it. 129 The rivers therefore provide material
and spiritual sustenance and a strong continuing bond.130 “The people belong to the river and
the river belongs to the people.”131
The Tribunal therefore found that whilst the claimants had shared their rivers for noncommercial uses, it was ‘quite unacceptable that commercial property can be made from Te
Ika Whenua interest in the rivers without any form of compensation or payment”. 132 In
particular the Tribunal held that Te Ika Whenua are entitled to payment for the use of their
interest in the rivers for power generation and recommended that the Crown consult and
negotiate with Te Ika Whenua over past use and to ascertain a suitable formula for payment
for future use.133
Tikanga-a-whānau specific examples
Poroti Springs
According to evidence provided for the Waitangi Tribunal Freshwater Report the Poroti
Springs are a taonga of great spiritual significance to Te Uriroroi, Te Parawhau, and Te
Mahurehure, and indeed to the whole of Ngā Puhi.134 The springs were and are a highly prized
resource, the waters were used for healing (rongoa) and also for ritual, and they provide
physical sustenance in the form of watercress, eels, and kewai.135
125
See Waitangi Tribunal: Report of the Waitangi Tribunal on the Kaituna River Claim (WAI 4 Waitangi
Tribunal 1984).
126
See Waitangi Tribunal: Report of the Waitangi Tribunal on the Kaituna River Claim (WAI 4 Waitangi
Tribunal 1984) at 31.
127
See Waitangi Tribunal: Report of the Waitangi Tribunal on the Kaituna River Claim (WAI 4 Waitangi
Tribunal 1984) at 34 – 37.
128
See Waitangi Tribunal: Report of the Waitangi Tribunal on the Kaituna River Claim (WAI 4 Waitangi
Tribunal 1984) at 33.
129
See Waitangi Tribunal Te Ika Whenua Rivers Report (WAI 212 Waitangi Tribunal 1998) at 84.
130
See Waitangi Tribunal Te Ika Whenua Rivers Report (WAI 212 Waitangi Tribunal 1998) at 86.
131
See Waitangi Tribunal Te Ika Whenua Rivers Report (WAI 212 Waitangi Tribunal 1998) at 86.
132
See Waitangi Tribunal Te Ika Whenua Rivers Report (WAI 212 Waitangi Tribunal 1998) at 131-132.
133
See Waitangi Tribunal Te Ika Whenua Rivers Report (WAI 212 Waitangi Tribunal 1998) at 132.
134
Page 95.
135
Page 95.
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In 1896, the Māori Land Court vested Poroti Springs, in the Whangarei region, in six Māori
owners.136 Then, in 1960, the Governor-General designated the springs and surrounding land
as a Māori Reservation for the purpose of water supply for the common use and benefit of the
local hapū. The Whaitiri Māori Reserves Trust are the body that administers the
Reservation.137
The Whaitiri Māori Reserves Trust have sought recognition of their ownership rights in the
waters of Poroti Springs through the Waitangi Tribunal.138 The Trust were part of the WAI
2358 the broad claim to establish a Māori proprietary interest in water and geothermal
resources. The Tribunal in the Freshwater Report, however, declined to make findings or
recommendations about specific grievances and water bodies and instead considered that
there were other avenues for redress for these specific claims.139 In the case of Poroti Springs
the Trust claim is included in a district inquiry that is still to conclude.
Despite their ownership of the water not yet being recognised, and a lack of financial
resources, the Whaitiri Māori Reserves Trust continue to exercise kaitiakitanga. For example,
the hapū of Poroti Springs in Northland have taken three cases to the Environment Court
attempting to restrain takes of water that sometimes reduce their once fast-flowing and
abundant springs to a trickle.140 They have been unsuccessful in their appeals thus far.
Conclusions: Māori Relationship with Freshwater
Māori have a relationship with freshwater. This cannot, and should not, be up for debate. The
relationship can differ on a whānau / hapū / iwi level. However, in summary, some foundational
kōrero that generally can be applied on a pan-Māori basis is as follows:

There is a whakapapa connection between Māori and wai.

Māori are kaitiaki of wai and waterways to ensure that wai remains available for
future generations.

Every Iwi will have a whakatauki which references an expanse of water, whether it
is a river or a lake. A body of water is an important self-identifying feature of the Iwi
and of a person.

Waterways and water bodies are taonga of whānau, hapū and iwi both from a
physical and spiritual perspective.

Wai has a mauri.

Māori exercise tino rangatiratanga, mana and kaitiakitanga over freshwater bodies.

Māori continue to seek to exercise their customary rights and relationships with the
water body.
Mai Chen “Govt Faced with Uncomfortable Water Precedents” The New Zealand Herald (New
Zealand 19 July 2012).
137
Mai Chen “Govt Faced with Uncomfortable Water Precedents” The New Zealand Herald (New
Zealand 19 July 2012).
138
At [17].
139
At 3.
140
Norris v Northland Regional Council [2012] NZEnvC 124; Norris v Northland Regional Council [2013]
NZENVC 106; and Norris v Northland Regional Council [2013] NZEnvC 208.
136
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The ways in which various relationships manifest also differ depending on the whānau / hapū
/ iwi context and depending on whether those groups have entered into an agreement with the
Crown with respect to the management (as there has been no settlement of proprietary
interests) of their taonga. This manifestation is detailed in Parts Two, Three and Four of this
Report.
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PART TWO: IWI, HAPŪ AND WHĀNAU AS KAITIAKI AND DECISIONMAKERS FOR PARTICULAR WATERBODIES IN THEIR ROHE
AND/OR AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Iwi, hapu and whanau have a relationship with water. It is complex and must be understood
within its cultural context. The purpose of this section of the report is not to provide an
anthropological review of Maori tikanga in regards to water; it is to explore the recognition
(legal or otherwise) of iwi, hapu and whanau as kaitiaki and decision makers for all or selected
water bodies within their tribal territories. For that, a comprehensive cultural treatise is not
necessary; save to say that iwi, hapu and whanau have distinct relationships with water – and
these are completely independent of the Crown, or local government, or any other nonindigenous third party. These relationships exist as part of the nexus of the tangata whenua
or mana whenua relationship – and are expressed and understood within that cultural context.
Moreover those relationships are protected by provisions within Te Tiriti o Waitangi; which
secured guarantees to hapu over their territorial integrity. These relationships, the right to have
them recognised and provided for, are furthermore articulated more fully in the Declaration of
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, of which the New Zealand Government has committed to,
and in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to which New
Zealand is a signatory.
The current challenge is to explore the extent to which those relationships may also be
recognised in emergent colonial law.
1. Understanding iwi, hapu and whanau as kaitiaki
Role
It is important to understand that kaitiaki is a multi-dimensional term; the role is
multi-faceted and complex. It is not simple, and nor should it be simplified.
Commentators141 make it absolutely clear that the starting point for kaitiakitanga is
not the Resource Management Act or its framework. To Maori/iwi this is obvious;
but given this report aims to create a platform for dialogue with the Crown it is
probably worth making explicit – the starting point for iwi, hapu and whanau as
kaitiaki is iwi, hapu and whanau specific tikanga.
Tikanga, while variable from source to source, has some commonalities – like you
would expect to see across nations that share a common legal or constitutional
background (for example across independent countries in the Commonwealth).
“A practical philosophy, the kaitieki role is a process that is locally defined and
managed.”142
Whilst tikanga varies between iwi (and in fact within iwi groupings each hapu may
have distinct tikanga) their ‘related practices are consistent with the values of not
contaminating the mauri and tapu of the domain’143 – tikanga relating to the kaitiaki
role of iwi, hapu and whanau is about (but not limited to) the sanctity and integrity
Ihaka, M of Te Kauere (et al) in ‘Tangata Whenua Perspectives of Wastewater – A report prepared
for the Gisborne District Council’ 2000.
142
Above note 1, pg 22.
143
Above note 1, pg 26.
141
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of the water, about the relationships between peoples and the natural world, and
about relationships between peoples socially, culturally, politically and spiritually.
“The role of the kaitieki is a sustainable practice. Furthermore, it is a complex
continually evolving science that strives to reach equilibrium between the
environment and people by practical application not theory” 144
Further articulation on kaitiakitanga, or the kaitiaki role, is captured within the
March 2012 Te Mana o Te Wai framework adopted by Iwi Leaders at Hopuhopu.
This is consistent also with the Toitu Ngati Porou framework articulated by Ngati
Porou.145
Across the spectrum of uses – a variety of consumptive and cultural needs
a. Rights and Responsibilities
Whilst rights (to, over and in respect of) water are often asserted iwi have been
clear that there is a corresponding set of responsibilities that come with the
mana whenua and whakapapa relationship with water.
In Te Waipounamu, Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) was cited as an example
where there is threat to mahinga kai. The water is so contaminated to the extent
it impacts on kai gathering. This affects the ability of the mana whenua to
manaaki visitors to their tribal territory.146
Ngati Porou noted that they ‘accept that in discussing rights and interests they
were also discussing obligations and responsibilities, which in their view is
inherent and/or inferred in any discussion on Rights and Interests [and that]
Rights and interests in WaiMaori are held collectively at whanau, hapu and/or
iwi levels’.147
Iwi have expressed concern that their tribal territories are often subject to unbridled
development by outsiders. They are often permitted to do so, by government, without
the consent of the indigenous peoples. Their activities are seldom measured for impact
on indigenous wellbeing, or on the environment.148 As free market entities they do not
have the same legal obligations of the state and they appear to consider themselves
at arms’ length from international human rights standards. In this dynamic the State
has an obligation to ensure those it permits to act do so within the framework of the
Crowns’ legal obligations to iwi and hapu.
To this extent the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples requires that:
144
Above note 1, pg 23.
Iwi Leaders Group, Te Mana o Te Wai Framework, 2012 (Hopuhopu), Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou,
Background section contained within the Report on the Outcomes of the WaiMaori Hui held in Ngati
Porou from 28 October – 29 november 2014, January 2015.
146
Indigenous Corporate Solutions, Report to the Iwi Advisory Group from the Freshwater Iwi
Leadership Regional Hui, 2014.
147
Above note 5; TRONP report, pg 1.
148
See for example the New Zealand governments’ admission in judicial review proceedings
challenging a petroleum exploration permit that no environmental or cultural impact considerations were
taken into account, nor were any legally required to be taken into account
at
<http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/greenpeace-te-whanau-apanui-appeal-petrobras-decision-wb-123872>.
145
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States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples concerned
through their own representative institutions in order to obtain the free, prior and
informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories
and other resources, particularly in connection with the development, utilization or
exploitation of mineral, water or other resources. States shall provide effective
mechanisms for just and fair redress for any such activities, and appropriate measures
shall be taken to mitigate adverse environmental, economic, social, cultural or spiritual
impact.
This is echoed again by Ngati Porou; they state:
On the basis of their unique context, their proprietary interest in the Wai and the current
state of Freshwater Managerment within the Ngati Porou rohe, Nga Hapu o Ngati
Porou assert that they have:
a. A right of say over the wai (freshwater) in their rohe
b. A right to protect, nurture and care for the wai in their rohe
c. A right of access and use fo the wai, for all purposes that contribute to
the wellbeing of the wai in their rohe
d. A right to develop the wai in their rohe
Nga Hapu o Ngati Porou believe that the mechanisms for recognising and giving effect
to their rights and interests are:
a. A key role in decision-making, which they will seek through existing
mechanisms within the RMA and/or an extension of these mechanisms
through their direct negotiations with the Crown;
b. A key role in planning and management of the WaiMaori within their
rohe, through the development of Hapu Freshwater Management Plans
inclusive of whanau specific requirements in relation to he puna and
aquifers on their lands;
c. An overall freshwater management regime that reflects our very strong
rights and interests, including proper protection and recognition of our
proprietarty and customary rights and interest in the Wai in our rohe
though:
a. Leading the development of a Freshwater Management Plan
inclusive of Catchment specific plans for the Ngati Porou rohe
b. Direct negotiations with the Crown in respect to Ngati Porou
customary and proprietary interests in Wai.149
The role of iwi, hapu and whanau as kaitiaki though should not be read down; it is, for
some, considered to represent an intensity of rights others would equate with
ownership.
That said, there is strong and widespread support for the assertion that Māori have
rights in the nature of ownership in water and for the language of proprietary rights.
Many iwi and hapū said that there is a link between land ownership and ownership of
water. If you own the land, you own the water that flows on and under it. Others said
that water ownership is separate from land ownership. Some see the issues as
historical and linked to past, present and future generations. Others see these issues
as contemporary. Whānau, hapū, and iwi support the ILG to progress an outcome that
149
Above note 5, item 4.1 and 4.2
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enables whānau, hapū, iwi or even Māori land owners a ‘use right’ (allocation) in
freshwater. A strong proviso was made in Taitokerau, Tāmaki and Te Tairāwhiti
(particularly by Te Whānau a Apanui), that rights and interests in water are seen as
whānau and hapū rights. In Waikato, and again in Maniapoto, it was recorded that an
allocation of water for iwi was supported subject to use, management and control of
waters being determined by iwi, hapū and marae.150
2. Development of instruments to provide for iwi, hapu and whanau as kaitiaki
a. There is necessarily overlap between mechanisms designed to reflect the
governance (or inter-governmental) relationship between iwi/hapu and the Crown,
and those mechanisms designed to recognise and give effect to the role of iwi,
hapu and whanau as kaitiaki. To some extent the mechanisms may well be
different parts of the same spectrum; where governance level mechanisms reflect
the constitutional interactions between parties, the commitment to working
collaboratively to develop high level strategic planning around freshwater – whilst
recognition instruments may also be developed for grass roots participation in
decision making process, monitoring and implementation.
A large amount of research has been undertaken by the Horouta Collective
(representing Ngati Porou, Te Whanau a Apanui, Te Aitanga a Mahaki,
Rongowhakaata and Ngai Tamanuhiri) in regards to mechanisms designed to
reflect the recognition of tangata whenua rights and interests in water.
Understandably there is a wide spectrum of mechanisms that could be employed,
and the Horouta Collective have identified some innovative approaches for
recognition instruments:
Constitutional / systemic recognition
Strategy and Influence
Where iwi (with recognised rights of
participation for constituent hapu) would
essentially be responsible for local
government / resource management
issues and administration within their
rohe; iwi don’t necessarily want a
delegated right from local government
(as is provided for in section 33 of the
current schema) but instead are
interested in pursuing discussions that
would enable the restoration of their
tribal decision making authority over
their tribal estate151
Iwi/hapu should be recognised formally
as having a kaitiaki role with regards to
water within their tribal territory
All freshwater matters to be carried out
within the context of Te Mana o Te Wai
and the priorities/framework established
by or in equitable partnership with iwi
(regardless of actor)152
Indigenous Corporate Solutions report – pg 11.
Te Runanga o Te Whanau, Te Whanau a Apanui Inter-Generational Strategy for Self Determination,
2012.
152
Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou, Report on the on the Outcomes of the WaiMaori Hui Held in Ngati
Porou from 28 October – 29 November 2014, January 2015, pg 1.
150
151
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Equitable participation
Water quality monitoring
Access/Allocation Reserve
Ecosystem approach needs to
permeate through planning; water
systems by their nature are not
fragmented, and therefore the planning
should reflect this153
Full access to information held by local
and central government, as well as
Crown Research Institutes and SOE’s
pertaining to fresh water catchments
within the tribal territory
Establishment of a collaborative
research and restoration fund
Establishment of detailed iwi specific
freshwater research and plans led by
the iwi, for the waterways and
catchments within the iwi territory
Legally recognised ability / right to
participate in all level of decision making
regarding fresh water within the tribal
territory (or impacting upon it- e.g.
activities in immediately adjacent
catchment that will have negative
adverse impact on tribal waterways)
Ability to access rating revenue derived
from within the rohe; particularly when
there is a water use charge derived
from access to water within tribal
waterways
Ability to charge users (commercial) for
use, allocation and monitoring (less so
the charge for the water itself, but for
the maintenance of the monitoring and
administration system required to be
established and operational as the
result of commercial demand on water
catchments
Beyond just physical participation in
monitoring water quality; the ability of
iwi/hapu to determine relevant
measures (with regards mauri and tapu
etc)
Agreed reserve of allocation (and
access) for marae, kohanga, kura,
elderly and families with tamariki154
Infrastructural investment for whanau
members in rural communities to
access fresh water all year round
Allocation to iwi as of right – in
recognition of our prior
ownership/occupation of a territorial
space155
153
Tutekawa Wyllie, quoted in Turanga Iwi Waimaori Report, January 2015, pg 7.
Lead proposals from the Turanga Iwi Waimaori Report, January 2015, pg 8.
155
Above note 5
154
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Tangata Whenua Framework/
Worldview
Indigenous Impact Assessment
Process
Support for iwi/hapu and whanau water
storage and reservoir development to
enable capitalisation on plentiful supply
and planning for times when supply/flow
is low
Provision for the restoration of the
iwi/hapu and whanau spiritual
relationship with waterways; where this
has been interrupted or denigrated
there should not just be an assumption
that political levers or instruments have
the capacity to remedy this – specific
provision of the recognition (and where
required the restoration) of the spiritual
relationship between the people, the
land and the water should be provided
for.156
Broader than the current ‘Cultural
Impact Assessment’ mechanism which
has largely disempowered iwi/hapu and
can occur entirely without their
participation an Indigenous Impact
Assessment Process would enable
iwi/hapu to set indigenous indicators of
wellbeing; there would need to be a
requirement to ensure the assessment
was formally sanctioned by the tangata
whenua (which accounts for capacity
issues, but addresses the present
vulnerability that have plagued the CIA
process being completely co-opted by
consent applicants to third party
consultants dealing in generic cultural
assessment)157
3. Further exploration
The development of a suite of mechanisms to provide for the kaitiaki role of iwi, hapu and
whanau is necessary – and within that a variety of rights, interests, responsibilities and
obligations will need to be able to be reflected.
Further thought and discussion would need to occur around what minimum standards
should apply, and mechanisms would need to be stress tested to ensure they provide for
the level of participation and protection they are intended for. This testing would enable
mechanisms to designed to meet the needs of iwi, hapu and whanau from the outset;
thereby preventing the situation, recently lamented by the Waitangi Tribunal in its
freshwater inquiry, where the somewhat ambitious and well intentioned provisions of the
RMA are woefully under-utilised and/or fall short of actualising increased participation by
Maori.
156
Teina Moetara quoted in Turanga Iwi Waimaori Report, January 2015, pg 5.
The development of a holistic Indigenous Impact Assessment has been advocated for by Te Whanau
a Apanui; and there is also work being undertaken by Te Kipa Morgan in regards to mauri measurement
tools for resource management and development.
157
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To that extent legislative and regulatory designers will need to be cognisant of how we
ensure iwi, hapu and whanau are empowered through this process rather than burdened
by it.
Māori continue to seek meaningful input into decision-making about freshwater at all
levels. There was a clear call for seats on decision-making boards and guaranteed seats
on councils. The importance of building capability and capacity to be involved in decisionmaking and freshwater management was emphasized at many hui, as was the need for
resourcing to build this capacity.158
158
Above note ‘IAG Report’ at pg 10.
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PART THREE: IWI / HAPŪ ACCESS TO FRESHWATER FOR MARAE,
PAPAKAINGA AND MAHINGA KAI
Marae, papakainga and mahinga kai require freshwater to effectively and efficiently operate.
All are key components of te ao Māori; a necessary part of iwi, hapū and whānau life. Access
is required for cultural, social and economic purposes however each may require a different
recognition. Such use includes, but is not limited to, drinking and general purposes for marae
and papakainga, cultivation and irrigation.
The issues
Access to freshwater for marae, papakainga and mahinga kai is a long-standing and current
issue. There is no guaranteed allocation of freshwater for marae, papakainga and mahinga
kai through regional or national instruments (e.g. Regional Plans or the National Policy
Statements).
Environmental issues also compound the general access issues; drought is now common
across many parts of the country (particularly over the summer months). Drought affects both
farming operations and supply to marae. Pollution of traditional water sources for marae and
papakāinga is also an issue.159
Possible solutions
The following are possible solutions to the lack of access to freshwater for marae, papakainga
and mahinga kai:

Implementation through National and Regional Policy Statements requiring
Councils to provide for allocation of fresh water for marae, papakainga and mahinga
kai. Evidence provided in the Variation 6 context termed such an allocation a
“cultural allocation that would remain in the river to ensure the health and wellbeing
of the Waikato River”.160 Such an allocation should be considered from existing and
new sources.161

Diverting or tapping into active springs and currently being used by councils for town
supply, particularly where those springs are on land formerly owned by iwi and hapū
taken under the Public Works Act; or restoring puna which have dried up (some
which had operated for over 100 years).162

Implementation at the Regional plan level requirement provision to be made for a
take for marae, papakainga and mahinga kai prior to limits being set (i.e. as a
permitted activity creating a new permitted baseline).

All access to secure and sustainable access to quality freshwater, and associated
infrastructure, is at no cost to marae and papakainga.

All mahinga kai sites are restored and / or protected.
159
These were also findings made in the Waikato Region reported in the Te Hapori o Maungatautari
case study.
160
See Te Hapori o Maungatautari case study, p.14.
161
The Sapere Reports commissioned by the ILG provide some options for consideration in this respect.
162
See Te Hapori o Maungatautari case study, p.14.
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The following recommendations were also made in the context of the Te Hapori o
Maungatautari case study:163
163

Further work to explore guaranteed access to water via mechanisms that ensure
access to clean, drinkable water for marae and papakainga, and access to water
for other cultural and commercial goals.

Crown funding for sustainable marae and papakainga models including design,
technology and funding (including micro-generation options and revival and
restoration of puna).

Specific research and analysis on proposals for independent allocation boards, at
either national level, or at catchment level, with independent water allocation bodies.
See Te Hapori o Maungatautari case study, p.15.
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PART FOUR: ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF IWI RELATIONSHIP TO
FRESHWATER BODIES
Part One of this Report, Iwi / hapū / whānau relationships with freshwater and particular
freshwater bodies, details the nature of the relationship Māori have with freshwater and
highlights particular iwi, hapū and whānau examples of this relationship. In short, Māori are
intrinsically connected to wai through whakapapa; wai is a taonga and a tipuna, and Māori
have specific obligations with respect to the protection and continuing health of wai.
Iwi, hapū and whānau relationships to water take shape in a number of different ways. Some
relationships have been recognised by the Crown through the Treaty settlement process,
some have not. This Part Four, Alternative forms of Iwi relationship to Freshwater bodies,
details examples of those Iwi who have had their relationship to water recognised in an
alternative or unique way in the current New Zealand context. The primary examples in the
Part are that of the Whanganui River settlement (Ruruku Whakatupua) and the arrangements
in place over Lake Taupō. This Part also considers some other examples, outside of the
Treaty settlement process, of relationships between iwi and freshwater bodies that have led
to rights recognition in some form (for example, Lake Waikaremoana and Lake Rotoaira).
Whanganui Iwi – Whanganui River: Te Awa Tupua164
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui, provides the following kōrero in the
first section entitled From Darkness to Light – the Journey to Settlement:165
Whanganui Iwi have common links in two principal ancestors – Paerangi and Ruatipua. Ruatipua
draws lifeforce from the headwaters of the Whanganui River on Mount Tongariro and its
tributaries which stretch down to the sea. The connection of the tributaries to form the Whanganui
River is mirrored by the interconnection through whakapapa of the descendants of Ruatipua and
Paerangi.
Ngā wai inuinu o Ruatipua ēnā,
Ngā manga iti, ngā manga nui e honohono kau ana
Ka hono, ka tupu, hei awa
Hei Awa Tupua
Those are the drinking fonts of Ruatipua
The small and large streams which flow into one another
And continue to link and swell until a river is formed
Te Awa Tupua
Whanganui Iwi view the Whanganui River as a living being, Te Awa Tupua; an indivisible whole
incorporating its tributaries and all its physical and metaphysical elements from the mountains to
the sea.
E rere kau mai te Awa nui
Mai i te Kāhui Maunga ki Tangaroa
Ko au te Awa, ko te Awa ko au
The Great River flows
From the Mountains to the Sea
I am the River and the River is me
164
This background section on the claims of the Whanganui iwi to the Whanganui River have been
taken and summarised from the following resources: The Whanganui River Report, Wai 167 (1999) and
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui (5 August 2014), parts 1-3 (The Journey to
Settlement, Iwi statement and Historical Account and Acknowledgements and Apology).
165
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui (5 August 2014), clauses 1.1-1.2.
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At 1840 the iwi and hapū of Whanganui possessed, and exercised rights and responsibilities
in relation to, the Whanganui River in accordance with their tikanga. A substantial Māori
population was dispersed along the River. In May 1840 fourteen Whanganui River rangatira
signed the Treaty of Waitangi. After 1840 the Crown started to assume authority over and
management of the Whanganui River. Whanganui Iwi also continued to use and assert their
interests in the River. In 1848 the Crown purchased a block at Whanganui which included the
lower reaches of the Whanganui River.
From the 1870s, legislation allowed local authorities to manage the River but did not provide
for Whanganui Iwi involvement in the regulatory bodies. From the 1870s to the present,
Whanganui Iwi have sought justice for their claims and grievances, and protection for the
Whanganui River:

In 1885, the Crown discussed with Whanganui Iwi the “improvement” of river rapids to
assist the establishment of a steamer service. However, from 1887 Whanganui Iwi
protested against the scale and effect of the Crown’s river works. They petitioned
Parliament that steamers were destroying their eel weirs and fisheries, which provided
an important food source. By 1891 most weirs had been destroyed. In 1891, the
Wanganui River Trust Act was passed to conserve the natural scenery and protect the
navigability of the River. There was no provision for Māori membership on the Trust’s
board. The Act provided that it would not “affect any rights conferred upon the Natives
by the Treaty of Waitangi”. Whanganui Iwi protested against the Trust’s activities on
the River by petitioning Parliament and obstructing river works. Between 1893 and the
1920s Parliament expanded the Trust’s powers, including the right to extract and sell
River gravel. There was no consultation with Whanganui Iwi over the amendments and
they continued to exclude provision for Māori representation. The effects of gravel
extraction and the provision of compensation are ongoing concerns for Whanganui Iwi.

In 1903, the Coal-mines Act Amendment Act provided that the beds of all navigable
rivers “shall remain and shall be deemed to have always been vested in the Crown”.
The Whanganui River is the longest navigable river in New Zealand. There was no
consultation with Whanganui Iwi over the legislation. In the twentieth century
Whanganui Iwi continued to assert their interests in the Whanganui River. In 1916,
the Wanganui River Reserves Commission heard Whanganui Iwi grievances over the
Crown’s taking of riparian land for scenery preservation, and requests for recognition
of their River rights. The Crown let most of the Commission’s recommendations lapse,
including the return of some riparian land to its former owners. In 1927, Whanganui Iwi
petitioned for compensation for their River rights, and for the taking of gravel and land
for scenery preservation, the damage to eel weirs, and profits made by the steamer
company. The Government authorised the Native Land Court to inquire into the
petition. By 1937, this had not been completed.

Between 1938 and 1962, Whanganui Iwi pursued a claim through the courts for
ownership of the bed of the Whanganui River. Several courts found that Whanganui
Iwi had held the bed of the River under their customs and usages at 1840. In 1949, the
Supreme Court ruled that the Coal-mines Act Amendment Act 1903 had vested the
riverbed in the Crown.166 In 1962, the Court of Appeal found that Māori customary
166
The presumption that the Coal-mines Act Amendment Act 1903 had vested all navigable riverbeds
(assessing navigability as a whole”) in the Crown was overturned by the Supreme Court majority in Paki
and Others v Attorney General [2012] NZSC 50 (Paki No 1). The High Court and Court of Appeal had
both held that, when determining whether a river was navigable, the correct approach was to assess
whether the river was navigable “as a whole”. The High Court and Court of Appeal both concluded that
the Waikato River was navigable as a whole and therefore the Waikato River as a whole was vested in
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ownership of the riverbed had been extinguished by the granting of Crown titles to
riparian blocks.167

In 1958, the Crown authorised the diversion of water from the Whanganui River and
other rivers into the proposed Tongariro Power Scheme. The Crown did not consult
with Whanganui Iwi about this decision, or before the diversion commenced in 1971.
For Whanganui Iwi the diversions have damaged the health and wellbeing of the
Whanganui River, and adversely affected their cultural and spiritual values.

From 1974 Whanganui Iwi pursued direct negotiations with the Crown over their River
claims. In 1988 the Crown established the Whanganui River Māori Trust Board to
negotiate for the settlement of all outstanding Whanganui Iwi claims over the
Whanganui River. The Wai 167 claim to the Waitangi Tribunal was filed by Hikaia
Amohia and the members of the Whanganui River Māori Trust Board on behalf of
Whanganui Iwi in October 1990. The Wai 167 claim included, among other things,
claims in respect of the Whanganui River and was pursued for the benefit of all who
affiliate to Whanganui Iwi. Waitangi Tribunals were held at various times throughout
1993-1995. The Tribunal released its report in 1999.168

Negotiations between Whanganui Iwi and the Crown took place between 2002 and
2004 following the issue of the Waitangi Tribunal's Whanganui River Report. Those
negotiations did not result in an agreement being reached. Engagement between
Whanganui Iwi and the Crown recommenced in 2009 and it is this set of negotiations
that has resulted in the current Treaty of Waitangi settlement of the historical
grievances of the Whanganui Iwi in relation to the Whanganui River.
On 5 August 2014, the Crown and Whanganui Iwi signed Ruruku Whakatupua – the
Whanganui Deed of Settlement in relation to the Whanganui River (Ruruku Whakatupua).
Ruruku Whakatupua comprises two documents:

Ruruku Whakatupua - Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua (which provides for the establishment
of a new Te Awa Tupua framework for the Whanganui River); and

Ruruku Whakatupua - Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui (which provides for the other
elements of the settlement, including financial redress of $80 million to Whanganui
Iwi).
the Crown under section 14 of the 1903 Amendment Act. However, the Supreme Court held that the
vesting to the Crown of beds of rivers accomplished by section 14 of the 1903 Amendment Act attached
only to those stretches of a river that were navigable in fact in 1903 and that the 36 kilometre stretch of
the Waikato river alongside the Pouakani lands was not navigable, in fact, in 1903 and therefore did not
vest to the Crown pursuant to section 14 of the 1903 Amendment Act. The purpose of this footnote is
to simply note the now different approach to the application of the 1903 Amendment Act and the result
in the particular case of Pouakani. The Supreme Court is clear that whether a river is navigable will
turn on the particular facts of that river.
167
In Paki and Others v Attorney-General [2014] NZSC 118 (Paki No 2) the Supreme Court concluded
that the Crown did not obtain ownership of the riverbed by reason only of its acquisition of the riparian
lands, the Court examined in Re the Bed of the Wanganui River [1962] NZLR 600 (the Whanganui
River Decision). The Justices held unanimously that the Whanganui River Decision does not stand
for the proposition that the riverbed (to the mid-point of the river) automatically forms part of all riparian
lands investigated by the Native Land Court. They also did not accept that the Whanganui River
Decision stands for the proposition that Māori custom “universally” accepts that riparian lands entail
ownership of the riverbed. However, because the precedential effect of the Whanganui River Decision
was not contested, the judges did not feel it was appropriate to make a determination on the Whanganui
River Decision generally.
168
The Whanganui River Report (WAI 167 Waitangi Tribunal 1999).
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Associate Professor Linda Te Aho has commented that the prominence of te reo and
matauranga Māori is a “striking feature” of Ruruku Whakatupua particularly in relation to the
terminology generally found in a Deed of Settlement with respect to a Historical Account,
Cultural Redress and Commercial Redress; these titles have been replaced by Māori names
and a korero unique to the Whanganui Iwi. 169 By way of example, Associate Professor Te
Aho notes the Māori name ascribed to the Te Awa Tupua Strategy that will be created under
the settlement, Te Heke Ngahuru ki te Awa Tupua – “Te Heke Ngahuru is the first autumn
migration of eels, signifying well-stocked storehouses for the winter. The name is said to
symbolise the potential of Te Awa Tupua to provide for all if cared for and protected as a living
spiritual and physical resource.”170 The use of te reo (including in the title of the Deed itself),
and the framing of Ruruku Whakatupua in matauranga Māori, is inherently linked to the way
in which Whanganui Iwi are connected with their taonga.
Legislation to confirm the matters requiring legislative confirmation in Ruruku Whakatupua is
currently being drafted and is intended to be introduced in the House of Representatives in
the third quarter of 2015.
Ruruku Whakatupua - Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua me Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui
The Whanganui River settlement contains a number of innovative mechanisms which
warrants its classification as an “alternative form”, or at least alternative expression, of an iwi
relationship to a freshwater body. Associate Professor Te Aho provides a comprehensive
summary of both parts of Ruruku Whakatupua in the Māori Law Review piece Ruruku
Whakatupua Te Mana o te Awa Tupua – Upholding the Mana of the Whanganui River.171 This
section focuses on the redress provided for in Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa
Tupua and the legal recognition and weighting provided for through Ruruku Whakatupua; the
elements are closely aligned to the recognition of rights and interests being examined in this
context.
The new legal framework, Te Pā Auroa nā Te Awa Tupua (Te Pā Auroa) for the Whanganui
River, is contained in Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua. The key components
of the Te Pā Auroa are:172

Statutory recognition of:
 the Whanganui River, Te Awa Tupua, as an indivisible and living whole
comprising the Whanganui River from the mountains to the sea, incorporating
its tributaries and all its physical and metaphysical elements;173 and
 Te Awa Tupua as a legal person;174

Tupua te Kawa (the Te Awa Tupua values);175

Te Pou Tupua acting as the human face for Te Awa Tupua;176
Te Aho L (2014) Ruruku Whakatupua Te Mana o te Awa Tupua – Upholding the Mana of the
Whanganui River Māori Law Review, May 2014.
170
Ibid.
171
Te Aho L (2014) Ruruku Whakatupua Te Mana o te Awa Tupua – Upholding the Mana of the
Whanganui River Māori Law Review, May 2014.
172
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clauses 1.1-1.2.
173
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clause 2.1.
174
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clauses 2.2 – 2.3.
175
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clauses 2.6 – 2.7.
176
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clauses 3.1 – 3.45.
169
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
Te Heke Ngahuru ki Te Awa Tupua (the Te Awa Tupua strategy); 177

Te Kopuka na Te Awa Tupua (the Te Awa Tupua strategy group);178

Kia Matara Rawa (the vesting of the Crown-owned parts of the bed of the Whanganui
River in Te Awa Tupua);179 and

Te Korotete o Te Awa Tupua (the Te Awa Tupua fund).180
The purpose of Te Pā Auroa is to provide for the legal recognition of Te Awa Tupua, the legal
recognition and effect of Tupua te Kawa, the development and effect of Te Heke Ngahuru ki
Te Awa Tupua and the protection and promotion of the health and wellbeing of Te Awa
Tupua.181 Tupua te Kawa is a set of intrinsic values which represents the essence of Te Awa
Tupua.182 The Crown has explicitly confirmed its commitment to Te Awa Tupua and Tupua te
Kawa through Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua.183 The Crown owned parts
of the bed of Whanganui River will also be vested in Te Awa Tupua.
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui sets out other elements of redress that
are intended to address the grievances of Whanganui Iwi in relation to the Whanganui River
and, in doing so, to uphold the mana of Whanganui Iwi and their relationship with Te Awa
Tupua.184 Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui provides for an iwi statement,
historical account and apology (and, as noted by Associate Professor Te Aho, does so with a
distinctly Māori flavour incorporating te reo headings and matauranga Māori throughout).
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui also separately provides for:

Te Pākurukuru (the Whanganui Iwi-Crown Relationship Agreement);185

Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au (Whanganui Iwi Standing);186

Rangahau e Tane, Miroi e Tane (Customary Activities);187

Te Riu Maeneene (Other Cultural Redress);188

Nga Raukawa Aukaha (Financial Redress);189

Te Hoeroa (Governance);190

Nga Ritenga Whakau (Implementation Process);191 and
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clauses 4.1 – 4.24.
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clauses 5.1 – 5.48.
179
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clauses 6.1 – 6.29.
180
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clauses 7.1 – 7.14.
181
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clause 1.3.
182
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clause 2.6.
183
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clause 2.8.
184
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui, introductory statement.
185
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui, clauses 4.1 – 4.4.
186
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui, clauses 6.1 – 6.9.
187
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui, clauses 7.1 – 7.25.
188
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui, clauses 8.1 – 8.9.
189
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui, clauses 9.1 – 9.9.
190
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui, clauses 10.1 – 10.2.
191
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui, clauses 11.1 – 11.5.
177
178
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
Te Tata Whakairoiro (Settlement Matters).192
There are a number of kaupapa that underlie Ruruku Whakatupua, primarily the connection
between the Whanganui Iwi and their tupuna and the recognition of this relationship. Another
matter is the importance of the inclusion of the community as a whole in the Te Awa Tupua
framework. This contributes to the whole of river approach that also underlies the settlement
and is extremely important for all parties with a connection to the Whanganui River. This also
appears to have been a deliberate focus of Whanganui Iwi, both throughout the negotiations
and post the signing of Ruruku Whakatupua, to ensure that their tupuna and taonga is valued
and cared for by all of those in the community. This collaborative approach, for the benefit of
Te Awa Tupua, is present in the range of mechanisms provided for in Ruruku Whakatupua.
Effect of legal recognition
One of the most innovative parts of the Whanganui Iwi river settlement, at least in the New
Zealand context, is the legal recognition of Te Awa Tupua as a legal person in its own right.
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua provides for the legal recognition of both Te
Awa Tupua and Tupua te Kawa.
Te Awa Tupua, as framed in Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, is an indivisible
and living whole comprising the Whanganui River from the mountains to the sea, incorporating
its tributaries and all its physical and metaphysical elements.193 Following the passage of the
settlement legislation, Te Awa Tupua will be a legal person. Personality in law means being
the subject of legal rights and duties. Human beings are thus legal persons not because they
are human, but because they are the subjects of legal rights and duties. 194 Legal personality
can therefore include both natural and non-natural (or juristic) persons. A juristic person is an
inanimate object or concept that the law recognises as the holder of legal rights and duties. 195
A company is the most common example of the concept of a juristic, non-natural, person
holding legal rights and duties. In that case, the company is regarded as a legal person distinct
from those natural persons who are its shareholders, directors and employees. The company,
as its own legal person, can own property or make contracts.
The concept of applying legal personality to natural resources was introduced in the 1970s by
an American law professor, Christopher Stone.196 In his article in the California Law Review,
Professor Stone proposed that legal rights be given to “forests, oceans, rivers and other socalled “natural objects” in the environment – indeed, to the natural environment as a whole.”197
Professor Stone discusses the various other non-human objects that are also afforded legal
personalities such as companies as early as 1897.198 Since 1897, legal personality has been
further extended to include Hindu idols for worship,199 a Hindu temple200 and a monetary
fund.201 Standing, or locus standii, is related to legal personality.202 In order that a complainant
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui, clauses 12.1 – 12.24.
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clause 2.1.
194
R Grantham and C Rickett, Company and Securities Law: Commentary and Materials (Brookers,
Wellington, 2002), 199.
195
Ibid.
196
Christopher Stone, Should Trees Have Standing? Toward Legal Rights for Natural Objects, 45 S.
Cal. L. Rev. 450 (1972).
197
Ibid, 9.
198
Salomon v Salomon & Co Ltd [1897] AC 22 HL.
199
Pramatha Nath Mullick v Pradyumma Kumar Mullick (1925) L R 52 ind App 245.
200
Bumper Development Corp Ltd v Commissioner of Police of Metropolis [1991] 1 WLR 1362 (CA).
201
Arab Monetary Fund v Hashim (No 3) [1991] 2 AC 114 (HL).
202
Christopher Stone, Should Trees Have Standing? Toward Legal Rights for Natural Objects, 45 S.
Cal. L. Rev. 450 (1972), 12.
192
193
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may be granted a remedy for injury, the courts require him or her to have standing to ensure
that he or she is actually being or has been affected by the harm he or she is complaining
about. In respect of a river, if a complainant wishes to be granted remedy for injury to the
river, they must first prove their connection to the river to the court. This has long been an
issue for Whanganui Iwi given their numerous attempts to have rights recognised for the
protection of their taonga through the New Zealand courts over the years. This would not be
an issue were the river itself the legal person bringing the complaint.
Therefore, providing for Te Awa Tupua to have legal personality, Te Awa Tupua will have the
following in its own right:

rights in substance;203

standing;204

recognition of its own injuries; and

the opportunity to be a beneficiary.205
Ruruku Whakatupua also provides for the following weighting provisions which will be provided
for in the settlement legislation:

Statement of General Relevance – Clause 1.5 of Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te
Awa Tupua provides “Te Pā Auroa na Te Awa Tupua is a relevant consideration in the
exercise of all statutory functions, duties or powers relating to the Whanganui River or
relating to activities in the catchment affecting the Whanganui River.”206 The statement
of general relevance provides direction to all decision-makers exercising statutory
functions, duties or powers that Te Pā Auroa is a relevant consideration in those
functions, duties or powers.

Recognise and provide for the Te Awa Tupua status207 and Tupua te Kawa208 – This
statutory weighting is applied to 25 particular statutes set out in Ruruku Whakatupua
– Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua including the Conservation Act 1987, the Local
Government Act 2002 and the Resource Management Act 1991 (the RMA, in relation
to preparing or changing a regional policy statement, regional plan or district plan). 209

Have particular regard to the Te Awa Tupua status210 and Tupua te Kawa211 – This
statutory weighting is applied to the Historic Places Act 1993 (now Heritage New
Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014) and the RMA (to the extent that it is not included
in the “recognise and provide for” statutory weighting).
203
See general discussion on this matter in Christopher Stone, Should Trees Have Standing? Toward
Legal Rights for Natural Objects, 45 S. Cal. L. Rev. 450 (1972), 13.
204
Ibid.
205
Ibid, 14.
206
Clause 1.6 provides that “[T]o avoid doubt, the exercise of the statutory functions, duties or powers
referred to in clause 1.5 must be carried out in a manner consistent with the purpose of the legislation
under which those statutory functions, duties or powers are exercised.”
207
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clause 2.9.1.
208
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clause 2.9.2.
209
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clause 2.10.
210
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clause 2.11.1.
211
Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua, clause 2.11.2.
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
Interpretative matters – Clauses 13.2 and 13.3 of Ruruku Whakatupua – Te Mana o
Te Iwi o Whanganui provide the following further interpretative matters that are related
to the more explicit statutory weighting provisions with respect to the manner in which
the settlement is to be interpreted namely:
 That Ruruku Whakatupua must be interpreted in a manner which best furthers
the overarching purpose and intent of Te Pā Auroa.
 That the Te Awa Tupua legislation must be interpreted in a manner which best
furthers the overarching purpose and intent of Te Pā Auroa.
The combined effect of the statutory weighting provisions is that decision-makers have clear
direction as to the status of Te Pā Auroa, and those specific matters contained within it, and
how that is relevant to their decision-making. It also provides for more involvement of
Whanganui iwi, at an elevated level, in relevant planning processes. This represents a
departure from the legal status quo as to how decision-makings both viewed, and weighed in
relation to, Te Awa Tupua.
Conclusion on Ruruku Whakatupua
Associate Professor Te Aho observed the following in her concluding comments of the Māori
Law Review article entitled Ruruku Whakatupua Te Mana o te Awa Tupua – Upholding the
Mana of the Whanganui River:212
The according of legal personality and voice to the Whanganui River provides an opportunity for
more effective recognition of the rights and interests of the River. The legal status of the River
combined with that of the Post-Settlement Governance Entity, Ngā Tāngata Tiaki, as having an
interest in Te Awa Tupua greater than the public generally when applying the RMA, provides the
strongest opportunity for more effective participation by Iwi in planning processes of all freshwater
settlements to date.
This settlement, like that in relation to the Waikato River, compels local government relationship
agreements….
…
Though significantly less than the resourcing allocated to the Waikato River settlement, the level
of resourcing for Whanganui, much of which will be paid on-account; together with the Whole of
River strategy will no doubt produce tangible improvements in the health and wellbeing of Te
Awa Tupua. It is hoped that the provision for a social services project will have similar results for
whānau, hapū and iwi. The redress included in relation to protecting the rapids may well assist
Iwi and the River in any future proposals to dam the River for water storage, given climate change
challenges.
The Agreement that foreshadowed this settlement, Tūtohu Whakatupua, was the topic of the
winning essay written by Laura Hardcastle for the Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie Student Essay
Competition (see (2014) February Māori LR). Ms Hardcastle describes the agreement as
‘ground-breaking’, but also as a ‘compromise to prevent iwi from gaining ownership.’ I tend to
agree.
The agreements between the Crown and Whanganui Iwi, reflected in Ruruku Whakatupua,
are the result of more than a century of claims by the Whanganui Iwi to their taonga. The
agreement represents the priorities for both the Crown and Whanganui Iwi, taking into account
the context that it is a Treaty settlement and therefore represents a compromise position.
Te Aho L (2014) Ruruku Whakatupua Te Mana o te Awa Tupua – Upholding the Mana of the
Whanganui River Māori Law Review, May 2014.
212
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Despite this, the legal personality of Te Awa Tupua recognises the Whanganui Iwi’s consistent
view that the awa is a tupuna that is to be protected and therefore should be afforded rights
of its own. This innovative, and alternative, form of rights recognition is centralised on Te Awa
Tupua.
Ngāti Tūwharetoa – Lake Taupō and associated tributaries
Lake Taupō and the Waikato River are taonga of Ngāti Tūwharetoa and embody the mana
and rangatiratanga of Ngāti Tūwharetoa.213 Ngāti Tūwharetoa also have a long and detailed
history with respect to asserting rights to, and attempting to protect, their taonga – Lake Taupō
and the Waikato River.
However, in 1926 the beds of Lake Taupō and the beds of rivers and streams flowing into
Lake Taupō, were vested in the Crown through the Māori Land Amendment and Māori Land
Claims Adjustment Act 1926 (the 1926 Act). Although negotiations were occurring in 1926
between the Crown and Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa has continually asserted that
the vesting of the land pursuant to the 1926 Act was not intended to form part of the 1926 Act.
This position was not rectified until 1992 when the ownership of the Taupo Nui A Tia Block,
Te Awa o Waikato Ki Te Toka A Tia Block and Te Hokinga mai o te papa o nga awa ki te Poari
hei Kaitiaki o nga Hapū o Ngāti Tūwharetoa Block (Taupo Waters) were revested in Ngāti
Tūwharetoa, through the Tuwharetoa Māori Trust Board, and declared to be Māori freehold
land.214 The Crown and the Trust Board entered into a further Deed in 2007 which replaced
the 1992 Deed.215
The current legal position is that title to the bed and water column of Taupō Waters is vested
in the Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board. The Trust Board has achieved a range of different
mechanisms since the return of title in 1992:216

The Ngāti Tūwharetoa - Genesis Energy Committee. The Committee was formed after
an agreement was reached between the Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board (on behalf of
nga hapū o Ngāti Tūwharetoa) and Genesis Energy in 2000. The purpose of this
agreement is to mitigate the impacts of the ongoing operation of the Tongariro Power
Scheme (TPS) on Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and establish a forum whereby a meaningful,
positive and balanced working relationship is developed.217

Agreements with commercial users of Taupō Waters, for example:
 the agreement with IronMan New Zealand reported to be a licensing
arrangement per entrant;218 and
213
See Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board and Her Majesty the Queen in right of New Zealand, Deed in
relation to Co-Governance and Co-Management Arrangements for the Waikato River, 31 May 2010,
Background, 1.
214
See Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board and Her Majesty the Queen in right of New Zealand, Deed in
relation to Co-Governance and Co-Management Arrangements for the Waikato River, 31 May 2010,
Background, 3. The 1992 Deed is not publically avaliable.
215
See Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board and Her Majesty the Queen in right of New Zealand, Deed in
relation to Co-Governance and Co-Management Arrangements for the Waikato River, 31 May 2010,
Background, 4. The 2007 Deed is not publically avaliable.
216
These examples are publically avaliable.
217
See https://www.genesisenergy.co.nz/ngati-tuwharetoa-genesis-energy-committee.
218
See report dated 22 February 2013 avaliable at http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/news/8340603/Taupo-Ironman-agreement-reached.
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50
 the 52 year agreement with Mighty River for water stored in Lake Taupō.219

Joint Management Agreement with the Taupo District Council. Among other things,
the JMA established a joint committee in which appropriately qualified iwi appointees
join councillors in resource consent and private plan hearings changes which
apply to Māori multiple-owned freehold land.220
The alternative nature of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa arrangements is the ownership of both legal
title to the bed of Lake Taupō and certain tributaries and the title to the water column. 221
Although not necessarily all of the matters noted above are a result of the ownership of both
the bed and the water column, the ability to charge commercial users on Lake Taupō appears
to be directly connected to such a property right. Although the general position is that property
rights should only be taken into account by a consent authority assessing a resource consent
application where they are relevant to, or reasonably necessary to, determine an issue under
the RMA.222 When determining matters outside of a RMA context (e.g. the rights derived from
the property rights themselves), the ownership of the bed and water column becomes more
relevant.
Other specific water-body examples
The following are examples of other specific water-bodies that are owned by Māori groups.
Lake Waikaremoana
The title to the bed of Lake Waikaremoana is Māori Freehold Land and held by both the
Wairoa-Waikaremoana Māori Trust Board (148 shares) and the Tuhoe-Waikaremoana Māori
Trust Board (387 shares). Lake Waikaremoana is subject to a lease to the Crown and a right
to store water (in grosse) in favour of Genesis.223 The Waitangi Tribunal recently found that
compensation from the Crown was due for the use of Lake Waikaremoana for hydro
generation from 1946 to 1998.224 The Tribunal also noted that the Tuhoe Waikaremoana
Māori Trust Board and the Wairoa Waikaremoana Māori Trust Board, which control the lake
bed, reached a confidential settlement with ECNZ on the use of the lake for power generation.
The licence regime and easements, which allowed ECNZ to continue using the structures on
the lake for 100 years from March 1998, were transferred to Genesis in 2001 (as noted above
in this section).225
Lake Rotoaira
219
See
joint
media
release
dated
22
December
2014
available
at
http://www.mightyriver.co.nz/PDFs/PDFs/Tuwharetoa-and-Mighty-River-Power-reach-partnershi.aspx.
220
See
http://www.taupodc.govt.nz/our-council/policies-plans-and-bylaws/joint-managementagreements/Pages/joint-management-agreements.aspx.
221
Which is distinguishable to the Te Arawa Lakes settlement where Te Arawa Lakes Trust now own
the beds of particular lakes in and around Rotorua.
222
Congreve v Big River Paradise Ltd [HC AK CIV 2005-404-6809 Faire ACJ, 1 June 2006 at [21],
upheld on review (HC AK CIV 2005-404-6809 Lang J, 4 August 2006 at [30]; Director-General of
Conservation (Nelson-Marlborough Conservancy) v Marlborough District Council [2010] NZEnvC 403
at [34] (Lang J cites Saunders v Northland RC EnvC C041/09, Schmuck v Far North District Council
A26/2000 and Deegan v Southland Regional Council C110/98 in support of the proposition that property
rights will only be taken into account by a consent authority assessing a resource consent application
where they are relevant to, or reasonably necessary to, determine an issue under the RMA).
223
See Maori Land Court records for Lake Waikaremoana including 1999 252 Rotorua MB 145.
224
Waitangi Tribunal Te Urewera Report (WAI 894 Waitangi Tribunal 2014) Chapter 20:
Waikaremoana: The Sea of Rippling Waters, section 20.11.
225
Waitangi Tribunal Te Urewera Report (WAI 894 Waitangi Tribunal 2014) Chapter 20:
Waikaremoana: The Sea of Rippling Waters, section 20.11.
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The title to the bed of Lake Rotoaira is Māori Freehold Land and held by the trustees of the
Lake Rotoaira Trust. Lake Rotoaira is central to Genesis’ Tongariro Power Development
particularly for its use for storage. The Waitangi Tribunal in its Kahui Maunga Report found
the following specific points in relation to Lake Rotoaira and the Tongariro Power
Development:226

The 'no compensation' provision in the Lake Rotoaira deed should be set aside and
the damage reassessed; such a provision is a serious breach of the principles of the
Treaty.

The owners of Lake Rotoaira should be compensated for the loss of subsistence
from koaro and other indigenous fish.

The trustees of Lake Rotoaira suffered loss of economic opportunity when their plans
for a tourism and accommodation development were negatively affected, initially by
the raising of the lake level, and subsequently by the deteriation of water quality and
fishing opportunity. We recommend that the Crown provide compensation for these
negative effects.

The value of Lake Rotoaira for TPD purposes is substantial, and the loss of amenity to
the lake trustees is substantial. We recommend that the trustees be compensated,
not just for damage done, but also for the value of the lake for water storage from the
date of commercialisation. It is for the Crown to determine if the ongoing payments
should be carried by the Crown or Genesis.
Te Arawa Lakes
As part of the Te Arawa Lakes Settlement Act 2006 various lakebeds (namely Ngāhewa,
Ngāpouri, Ōkareka, Ōkaro, Ōkataina, Rerewhakaaitu, Rotoehu, Rotoiti, Rotomā,
Rotomahana, Rotorua, Tarawera, Tikitapu, and Tutaeinanga) were vested in the Trustees of
the Te Arawa Lakes Trust to receive and manage on behalf of Te Arawa. 227 The Te Arawa
Lakes Trust represents the iwi of Te Arawa who have mana whenua as the owner of the lake
beds and provides cultural advice on all aspects pertaining to the lakes. Through the Treaty
of Waitangi settlement the Crown is the owner of the ‘Crown stratum’, which is defined as the
space occupied by water and the space occupied by air above each lake bed.228 This is a
point of difference with the ownership rights the Tuwharetoa Māori Trust Board enjoy over
Lake Taupō.
Through the Te Arawa Lakes settlement, in addition to the vesting of the lake beds, the Te
Arawa Lakes Trust also received the following by way of related redress:229

Protocols

Statutory acknowledgements

Deeds of recognition

The establishment of the Rotorua Lakes Strategy Group
226
Waitangi Tribunal Kahui Maunga (WAI 1130, Waitangi Tribunal 2013) 1397.
Te Arawa Lakes Settlement Act 2006.
228
Ibid.
229
This is not a full list of the redress provided under the Te Arawa Lakes Settlement but those
mechanisms related to the management of freshwater.
227
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52

The ability to manage customary non-commercial fishing.

Access to indigenous plants.
Lake Omāpere
The Native Land Court decision in the case of Lake Omāpere (1929) recognised, among other
things, Māori customary law recognised ownership of lakebeds and that the Ngā Puhi people
owned and occupied the lake in 1840 holding “Māori custom and usage recognised full
ownership of lakes themselves.”230 Lake Omāpere recognised the importance of land to Māori
which was different to European notions of land. Judge Acheson also held that lake could be
included in the definition of land.231 This aligns with Māori notions of land in the sense that
Māori would not separate the land from its surrounding water. The Native Land Court in this
case granted ownership of Lake Omāpere to Ngā Puhi.
230
231
Lake Omāpere (Judgement of the Native Land Court, 1 August 1929, Judge Acheson) 9.
Ibid at 25.
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PART FIVE: PLANNING DOCUMENTATION – RIGHTS REFLECTION
The New Zealand resource management system includes the planning hierarchy. This Part
summarises the ways in which various Regional Councils in New Zealand have provided for
iwi, hapū and whānau rights and instruments through planning instruments and other relevant
information.232 The purpose of this Part is to provide an analysis of, and draw conclusions on,
the Regional Councils’ planning documentation and other mechanisms for recognising iwi,
hapū and whānau rights and interests in freshwater.233
Regional Council – Analysis of planning documentation and mechanisms
Each Regional Council in New Zealand is required to have a Regional Policy Statement and
a Regional Plan. The content of this documentation is prescribed somewhat by the RMA but
the intention is that the documents are appropriately tailored to a particular region. An
overview of the Regional Councils, noting planning instruments and other mechanisms that
attempt to recognise iwi, hapū and/or whānau rights and interests in freshwater is set out as
an Appendix.
All Regional Policy Statements and Regional Plans in New Zealand include some form of
recognition for Māori rights and interests. For example, the Northland Proposed Regional
Policy Statement includes a Tangata Whenua chapter with policies and methods for
participation in decision-making, plans and consents as well as iwi and hapū management
plans.234 Horizons Regional Council’s Regional Policy Statement includes a part on the Māori
worldview of the Management of Resources.235 However, this example, like many of the
examples are based on Maori rights and interests rather than specifically providing for
particular iwi / hapu / whanau values in the relevant Plans. Further, Te Mana o te Wai is not
yet explicitly included in any of the Regional planning documentation.
Recognition is often achieved through various policies and / or objectives in the relevant
planning documentation. This provides a decision-maker, or an applicant in the case of a
development, with guidance as to how Māori rights and interests fit within the relevant planning
scheme. However, policy statements in particular are often high level and do not provide a lot
of detail as to how iwi, hapū and whānau rights and interests are to be provided for when those
interests are said to be competing against another interest (and, in particular, how interests
are to be appropriately weighed). Further, these high level statements are often not
incorporated into objectives, policies or the rule within the Regional Plan such that they can
have limited practical effect. The Ngati Kahungunu report entitled Regional freshwater policy
and planning assessment for the three regional councils located within the Ngati Kahungunu
rohe (March 2015) included this point in the general summary of findings: 236
In respect of articulating customary values in freshwater, the structure of most planning
documents tends to be top heavy at the issues and objectives level and relatively lightweight at
the policy and methods level.
232
The analysis in this Part focuses solely on Regional Councils given their jurisdiction and time
constraints.
233
However this Part does not provide an analysis of, for example, the RMA’s failings for Maori. Much
research has been done on this point. In particular see Waitangi Tribunal Ko Aotearoa Tenei (2011),
Chapter 3.
234
Northland Proposed Regional Policy Statement, Chapter 8.
235
Horizons Regional Council, Regional Policy Statement, Part 4.
236
At p.2.
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54
This applies across Regions however has been found in particular in the context of the
Regional freshwater policy and planning framework for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council. 237 In
particular, the February 2015 report on the Regional freshwater policy and planning
assessment for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council concluded that:238
The principles of the Treaty of Waitangi contained in the regional plan are not given credence
through the decision-making or regional planning processes and there is reluctance within
regional council to enable effective co-governance to flourish. This inhibits the fulfilment of
kaitiakitanga and the freshwater aspirations of our hapū and marae.
In this instance, other mechanisms such as Joint Management Agreements, Joint
Committees, Co-Governance and Co-Management arrangements become more important in
assessing the relevant planning framework as a whole. Waikato Regional Council is leading
the way with the alternative range of mechanisms they have in existence in their region. Many
of these are as a direct result of the Waikato River Treaty settlement. Again, this should not
be the case. It is these instruments, particularly the joint management agreements and the
iwi management agreements, that are able to be given a legal weighting under the RMA.
Coupled with the co-governance and co-management arrangements, there is legal recognition
of rights and interests being reflected in the planning arrangements for the Waikato Region. 239
Northland Regional Council also has a number of registered iwi management plans in their
region.240 In addition there is specific iwi representation on some Committees (namely the
Environmental Management and Regional Transport Committees), a Regional Māori Advisory
Committee exists to, among other things, monitor the Northland Regional Council’s
compliance to its obligations to Māori and there are catchment management plans. The
Council also has a contestable fund for monitoring projects. The Bay of Plenty Regional
Council, like the Waikato Regional Council, benefits from the number of Treaty of Waitangi
settlements that have occurred in their region. A number of the mechanisms, such as the Te
Arawa Lakes Strategy Group and the Rangitaiki River Forum have resulted from Treaty
settlements. These mechanisms have slightly different focuses but, at their core, is the
promotion and enhancement of the environmental and well-being of the respective taonga –
the Te Arawa Lakes and the Rangitaiki River.
The Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) also has a range of mechanisms
in their region that have predominantly resulted from the Ngai Tahu settlement (if not directly,
then some indirectly as a result of additional resourcing to enable particular mechanisms to
be developed). For example, the Ngai Tahu Freshwater Policy has the status of an iwi
management plan pursuant to the RMA and sets out Ngai Tahu’s approach to the
management of freshwater resources. Similarly, the Te Waihora Joint management plan and
corresponding arrangements provides a level of co-management for Ngai Tahu over Te
Waihora.
No planning examples were sourced of specific provisions in plans which allow for whānau,
hapū or iwi access to water as a matter of priority. Nor were there any planning examples
sourced of examples where specific freshwater takes were set aside for marae or papakainga. This is a recommendation from Part Three, and included in the relevant outcomes
and mechanisms section, but is equally relevant to the planning framework section given that
the likely manifestation of any such mechanism would be, at least at one level, through
regional plans. Through the various other mechanisms (e.g. iwi management plans, co237
Research paper completed as a part of the Ngati Kahungunu Case Study, 2015: Regional freshwater
policy and planning assessment for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (February 2015).
238
Ibid, Executive Summary.
239
See Appendix for a list of these documents.
240
For example, Te Runanga o Whaingaroa Iwi Resource Management Plan 2011 and Ngati Rehia
Environmental Management Plan 2007.
HKI-100859-1-273-V1
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management and JMAs) a range of other planning gains have been achieved but access and
priority (particularly for marae and papa kainga) are still live issues.
Summary
In summary, the scope for rights recognition through resource management planning tools
has not been realised to its potential. Although there are positive examples, and these
examples are growing, there is still much room for improvement for local council leadership in
the area of recognition of iwi, hapū and whānau rights and interests. It is difficult to ascertain,
from the documentation, the reach of some of the positive initiatives at the regional level to
whānau, and particularly marae and papakainga, with respect to both the recognition of rights
and access based on that recognition.
Based on a review of the current planning documentation of the Regional Councils:

The regions with strong mechanisms in place often based on Treaty of Waitangi
settlements (e.g. Waikato Regional Council) tend to have had positive flow-on effects
for other areas in which iwi, hapū and whānau rights can be provided for.

There is still an extremely low rate of JMAs being developed and implemented on a
Regional basis. The sole example of JMAs at a Regional level is in the Waikato Region
as a result of the Waikato River Treaty settlement.241

The presence of Te Mana o Te Wai in relevant planning documentation is still not clear.
Although there are transitional provisions to allow Councils to prepare to implement
the NPS-FM, Te Mana o Te Wai as a part of the NPS-FM is not explicitly provided for
and does not appear to be a focus in the relevant planning documentation as yet.

Although in some regions, such as Northland, there are a range of mechanisms at the
governance level (e.g. committees) which result in increased influence, there also
should be a corresponding focus on those planning mechanisms that have legal
weighting. For example, the use of section 33 transfer powers and JMAs. The low
rate of uptake on these mechanisms has been widely documented and is not repeated
in this Report.

No planning examples were sourced of specific provisions in plans which allow for
whānau, hapū or iwi access to water as a matter of priority. Nor were there any
planning examples sourced of examples where specific freshwater takes were set
aside for marae or papakainga.

There is benefit in retaining Regional mechanisms to ensure that freshwater
management can continue to occur at a Regional level but some level of National
consistency as to iwi, hapū and whānau rights recognition, and participation in planning
is required. This could naturally occur through the RMA reform and the implementation
of the NPS-FM including Te Mana o te Wai. This is to prevent against inequity as
between the regions as much as possible.

Although there are positive examples of collaboration between Regional Councils and
iwi, hapū and whānau groups (e.g. the various JMAs in the Waikato Region, the
various committees in the Northland Regional Council areas and the forums in the Bay
of Plenty Regional Council area) again many of these are based on Treaty of Waitangi
settlement precedent and this should not need to be the case.
241
JMAs are in place as between the Waikato Regional Council and the Waikato Raupatu River Trust,
the Raukawa Settlement Trust and the Te Arawa River Iwi Trust.
HKI-100859-1-273-V1
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There are a range of ways that rights and interests of iwi, hapū and whānau could be
recognised through planning frameworks. There is also ways in which National direction,
particularly with respect to priority takes and the place of Te Mana o te Wai, can be used to
provide tangible benefits to iwi, hapū and whānau at a regional level. Suggested outcomes
and mechanisms, including providing for a priority take, are addressed in the outcomes and
mechanisms part of this Report.
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PART SIX: INTERNATIONAL APPROACHES AND OUTCOMES
Introduction
The international landscape for the recognition of indigenous rights and interests in water
rights is varied. This Part analyses international approaches to indigenous peoples’ water
rights and more broadly, recognition of Aboriginal title (where relevant). The purpose of this
analysis is to identify different approaches to recognise and indigenous peoples’ rights and
interests in freshwater, the mechanisms that stem from these approaches and how these
international approaches provide precedent options for Aotearoa (New Zealand). Relevant
international mechanisms are set out at the outset of this Part followed by analysis of specific
jurisdictions.
International instruments
There are a range of international instruments that may be used to support Indigenous
Peoples rights to water including:242

ICESCR, 1966;

ICCPR, 1966;

UNDRIP, 2007;

International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 1966;

Agenda 21, 1992; and

ILO Convention no. 169, 1989.
The Committee of Elimination of Racial Discrimination has stressed important of access to
water for indigenous peoples. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples recognises water rights in various articles. In Article 32 it clearly provides that States
shall consult indigenous peoples and obtain their informed consent when projects affect their
water or other resources. Article 25 provides indigenous peoples with the right to maintain
and strengthen their waters. Finally, the UNDRIP provides that Indigenous Peoples have the
right of self-determination.243
Australia
The majority of indigenous rights recognition in Australia, to the extent that rights have been
recognised, is framed in native or aboriginal title recognition. Mabo (No 2) recognised native
title for Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders was recognised by the Australian High
Court.244 However, this recognition was limited to personal, domestic and non-commercial
usufructuary rights. Mabo (No 2) was codified in the Native Title Act 1993. This recognised
native title, including rights over water where that water was located within traditional lands.
The Native Title Act 1993 also preserved customary rights, which have been argued to extend
to usufructuary rights of water. It is the usufructuary nature that has been connected to the
limited indigenous involvement in commercially viable volumes of water. Land ownership,
242
For some commentary on these mechanisms see Gupta J, Misiedjan D (2014) Indigenous
Communities: Analyzing their Right to Water under Different International Legal Regimes Utrecht Law
Review 10(2), May 2014. Netherlands.
243
See also Toki V (2012) Rights to Water an Indigenous Right? Waikato Law Review 20 pp 107.
244
Mabo v Queensland (No. 2) [1992] 175 CLR 1, High Court of Australia.
HKI-100859-1-273-V1
58
while contested, is more freely recognised than exclusive rights in natural resources. The
difference between rates of land ownership and water allocations has been linked to water
resources being allocated for predominately commercial ventures. 245
Despite the initial gains made in the Mabo cases, the Australian Courts are reluctant to
consider any form of exclusive native title. In Commonwealth of Australia v Yarmirr [2001] the
High Court of Australia recognised the potential for native title in the sea and seabed but only
to the extent that it was non-exclusive in nature.246 The Federal Court of Australia in Lardil
Peoples v State of Queensland [2004] recognised some native title in both inland and offshore
land and water areas but again, limited this recognition to non-exclusive rights governed by
the traditional laws of the claimant.247 In June 2015, the Barkandji people have been
recognised as the traditional owners of land in far western New South Wales, after a court
ruling on the state's largest native title claim. Although the traditional owners are optimistic
about what this may mean for the ability to exercise responsibilities in the Darling Harbour, the
ruling did not extend to water rights.248
New South Wales
The State of New South Wales (NSW) is leading the recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights
in water. NSWs have specific purpose access licenses (SPALs) namely Cultural Access
Licenses (CALs) and Aboriginal Community Development Licenses; and the Aboriginal Water
Initiatives (AWI). CALs allow access to water for important cultural purposes. CAL are limited
by being non-consumptive in nature. It has been asserted that the water rights still allow for
some form of exclusivity for the licensee over regulatory schemes for allocating and trading
water,249 however the CAL’s are limited in their nature; CALs:250

must be renewed on an annual basis;

capped at 10 ML/year per application;

cannot be traded.
New South Wales currently reports that it has two cultural access licences, one for the Dorrigo
Plateau and one for the Murrumbidgee.251 Described as being “[E]stablished under special
circumstances” the Murrumbidgee licence is 2150 ML and “is subject to annual water
determinations through jurisdictional water planning processes.” The following description is
provided for the process:252
245
Jackson S, Langton M (2011) Trends in the recognition of indigenous water needs in Australian
water reform: the limitations of 'cultural' entitlements in achieving water equity Journal of Water Law
22(2/3) 109-123.
246
Commonwealth v Yarmirr [2001] 208 CLR 1, High Court of Australia. See also Meyers GD (1997)
Water, water everywhere…: But is any of it subject to offshore native title claims in Australia?
International Legal Perspectives 9 pp 93; Quig P (2004) Testing the waters: aboriginal title claims to
water spaces and submerged lands – an overview Les Cahiers de Droit 45.
247
Quig P (2004) Testing the waters: aboriginal title claims to water spaces and submerged lands – an
overview Les Cahiers de Droit 45.
248
See http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-16/nsw-largest-native-title-claim-determination/6549180.
249
Ibid.
250
http://www.nwc.gov.au/publications/topic/water-planning/indigenous-involvement-in-waterplanning/new-south-wales.
251
See http://www.nwc.gov.au/publications/topic/water-planning/indigenous-involvement-in-waterplanning/new-south-wales.
252
Ibid.
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An Aboriginal Reference Group, operating under the auspices of the Aboriginal Advisory Group
and comprising members from across the catchment, assess applications to access this water
for cultural purposes. The licence is currently held by the Murrumbidgee CMA (now NSW Local
Land Services) and is conditional upon the ongoing involvement of an Aboriginal reference
group. The successful operation of this licence is supported by strong capacity-building
mechanisms through NSW Local Land Services who cover the associated licence fees. One
of a number of cultural uses of water under this licence is ordered flows for a culturally
significant wetland managed by the Nari Nari Tribal Council at Hay.
Aboriginal Community Development Licenses are limited to 500ML/yr for coastal unregulated
water sources.
The AWI was established in June 2012. Its aim is to “improve Indigenous involvement and
representation in water planning and management in New South Wales” and its main objective
is to “ensure that there is ongoing and effective state wide and regional engagement with
Indigenous communities in water planning, and that measurable Indigenous water outcomes
for both environmental and commercial use are achieved and reported upon.” 253 The AWI is
also intended to be the mechanism to monitor the water sharing plans to measure indigenousspecific performance indicators (a statutory requirement).254 Another objective of the AWI is
to develop the “skills and capacity by the initiative's Aboriginal water facilitators and Aboriginal
water coordinators to sustain ongoing dialogue, negotiation and project development in
partnership with Indigenous people and government.”255 NSW has reported:256
In consultation with Indigenous elders, communities and the Office of Water's Indigenous staff,
the AWI has developed cultural protocols to support the office in engaging Indigenous people
in water planning and water management decisions. An Aboriginal Water Initiative System
(AWIS) is also being developed to collect, store and protect information on water-dependent
cultural values that will inform the development of water sharing plans and reviews relevant to
Indigenous issues. Our water our country was launched in March 2012. The manual aims to
provide information that will increase Indigenous peoples' understanding of the water sharing
process and encourage their involvement. It is intended to help build their capacity to participate
as water users, protect their rights to water, maintain a healthy environment, and take full
advantage of economic opportunities.
At the Australian 7th Annual Water Forum held at La Trobe University in November 2014,
Bradley Moggridge (Kamilaroi Nation) the AWI Program Manager at the NSW Office of Water
reported the following gains made by the AWI:257

successfully waived all fees for Aboriginal SPAL’s as at 1st July 2014 through
Treasury;

acknowledgement in new water sharing plan’s (WSPs);

agency wide cultural awareness training;

a place at the table for WSP’s, floodplain management plan’s and water resource
plan’s deliberations, development and implementation; and

internal support for reform.
253
See http://www.nwc.gov.au/publications/topic/water-planning/indigenous-involvement-in-waterplanning/new-south-wales.
254
Ibid.
255
Ibid.
256
Ibid.
257
See
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/610415/2014-CWPM-BradleyMoggridge.pdf.
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At the same conference, Mr Moggridge also reported the following lessons for the AWI to
date:258










Employ Aboriginal Staff to engage Aboriginal Communities - ensure gender balance
Keep evolving and adapting to community needs
Good governance – policies and procedures
Need strong leadership and Executive sponsors
Need to be flexible and patient (i.e. after hour meeting)
Establish culturally appropriate protocols
Be impartial - engage all
Need adequate resources and funds
Don’t be afraid to ask government for improvements
Celebrate the successes
As at November 2014, the AWI remained the only Aboriginal water unit in Australia.
A different approach is offered by Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN),
who provide a collective voice for indigenous rights and interests. 259 MLDRN is a
confederation of Indigenous Nations or traditional owners in the lower southern part of the
Murray Darling Basin representing 24 nations.260 This includes ‘cultural flows’ which are water
entitlements that are legally and beneficially owned by the Nations.
Canada
Canada’s constitutional framework is fundamentally different to New Zealand, in that it has the
Constitution Act 1987, which recognises and protects Aboriginal rights and title (despite the
difficulties the Aboriginal peoples of Canada have had to practically recognise these rights).
Section 35(1) of the Constitution Act 1987 recognises and provides protection for Aboriginal
rights that existed at the time the Constitution Act took effect.261 Comparatively to New
Zealand, this means that extinguishment of indigenous title is more difficult in Canada as it is
constitutionally protected.262
In Delgamuukw v British Colombia [1997] Supreme Court of Canada sets out test for aboriginal
title and states that natural resources appertaining to land are subject to aboriginal title without
being confined to the ambit of traditional uses.263 Following that decision, Haida Nation v
British Colombia [2004] the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed that consultation was
required by the Crown if aboriginal rights or title (potential or established) could be affected by
Crown action.264 Similar to other jurisdictions, Canada has a tension between Aboriginal title
in water and submerged land and the burden on the Crown’s underlying title. This is because
sovereignty in offshore waters was not a consideration until the 1900’s for the Crown.
258
See
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/610415/2014-CWPM-BradleyMoggridge.pdf.
259
See http://www.mldrin.org.au/.
260
Ibid.
261
For a comparison between the way in which Canada has recognised aboriginal rights as compared
to aboriginal title see Manus P (2006) Indigenous Peoples’ Environmental Rights: Evolving Common
Law Perspectives in Canada, Australia and the United States Boston College Environmental Affairs
Law Review 33(1).
262
Pruner JF (2005) Aboriginal title and extinguishment not so clear and plain: a comparison of the
current Māori and Haida experiences Pacific Rim Law and Policy Journal 14, pp 253.
263
Delgamuukw v British of Colombia SCC [1997] 3 SCR 1010, Supreme Court of Canada
264
Haida Nation v British Colombia [2004] S.C.R. 511, 2004 SCC 73.
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61
Therefore it did not exist at the time of colonisation or overall sovereignty. The Canadian
Courts have held that native title can exist without the prerequisite of radical Crown title. 265
United States266
In the United Stated there is an underlying tension between Indigenous rights recognition and
maintaining federal paramountcy. This tension is evident in Montana v United States [1981]
where the Court altered whether it took a wide or narrow interpretation of the Crow Indians’
treaty depending on whether it favoured the United States Government or not. 267
Winters v United States [1908] created a doctrine that Native Americans on reservations are
entitled to sufficient water for agricultural, economic and development purposes. 268 Fort
Belknap Reservation created in 1888, but there was nothing in agreement about water rights.
Milk River ran through the reservation. Winters was a non-Indian farmer. The Indian use was
first (but pre-reservation) then non-Indian use (pre-reservation). Farmers argued that the
whole purpose of the reservations was to open up land for homesteading and the farmers
needed water to do this.269 The Supreme Court implied a water right because intent of the
reservation was to create a homeland for the tribe and “civilize” them by turning them to
agriculture, and these goals could only be effectuated if a right to water was implied (applying
the cannons of instruction as, in the Court’s reasoning, Indians could not have been expected
to know that they needed explicit language; land reserved for their beneficial use, and wouldn’t
have knowingly taken it without a water right). Following Winters, various Courts held that
Indian reservations with an agricultural purpose included water rights sufficient for irrigation
and that the amount of water with a date of reservation priority would increase as tribal needs
increased. A certainty issue arose with other users (due to open-ended court decrees –
Winters enjoined but did not specify how much water was allocated to each party). In 1963,
the SC announced a method for determining the full allocation for the reservations and tribes
involved in a comprehensive adjudication of the Colorado River.
The Supreme Court considered how much water comes with an implied right in Arizona v.
California270 and held that sufficient water was reserved to meet the present and future needs
of the reservation as it wouldn’t make sense for Congress to create reservation with any less.
The case concerned the allocation of water in the Colorado River premised on a statute. The
Court found that it did not matter that some reservations created by Executive Order; all have
been treated as having the same status and include waters as well as land. “We can give but
short shrift at this late date to the argument that the reservations either of land or water are
invalid because they were originally set apart by the Executive” (US v Midwest Oil Co 236 US
459 (1915)). The Supreme Court applied the “practicably irrigable acreage” (PIA) standard
for calculating amount of water reserved; PIA looks at how much land is arable and can be
irrigated economically for agriculture (this approach assume future uses will be agriculture and
apportion accordingly) In Arizona v California II 460 US 605 (1983) five Indian tribes whose
water rights were at issue in the previous case filed successful motions to intervene however
the SC rejected their claims that the decree should be reopened and additional water rights
awarded for land that was not claimed as practicably irrigable in the earlier proceeding.
265
Pruner JF (2005) Aboriginal title and extinguishment not so clear and plain: a comparison of the
current Māori and Haida experiences Pacific Rim Law and Policy Journal 14, pp 253.
266
For a comparison with New Zealand, see Kahn B (1999) The legal framework surrounding Māori
claims to water resources in New Zealand: In contrast to the American Indian experience Stanford
Journal of International Law 35(1).
267
Manus P (2006) Indigenous Peoples’ Environmental Rights: Evolving Common Law Perspectives in
Canada, Australia and the United States Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review 33(1).
268
Winters v. United States 207 U.S. 564 (1908).
269
It was factually important that Indian use was first. If the non-Indian use was first, the Winters
reservation right would not trump non-Indian water use.
270
373 US 546 (1963) 716.
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62
In U.S. v. Adair the 9th Circuit considered whether Treaty and fishing rights carried with them
an implied reservation of water.271 The 9th Circuit held that Klamath Reservation had two equally
valid primary purposes: converting Indians to agriculture and also maintaining hunting and
fishing lifestyle [hunting rights survived Klamath Termination Act]) and that the implied water
right extends to both. The 9 th circuit considered the New Mexico and Cappaert cases (about
non-Indian federally reserved lands) stand for propositions that (primary purpose):

Water rights are only implied where water is necessary to fulfil the primary purposes
of the reservation and not where water is merely “valuable for secondary use of the
reservation” (New Mexico).

The scope of the implied right is circumscribed by the necessity that calls for its
creation. The doctrine “reserves only that amount of water necessary to fulfil the
purpose of the reservation, no more” (Cappaert).
The 9th Circuit held that the Tribe would not have understood the grant of the reservation to
include a relinquishment of its right to use water (Indian law canons), and implied water rights
have been implied from far less explicit language. There was also no explicit language of
diminishment of water rights. Therefore, if a tribe proves reliance on water to maintain hunting
and fishing lifestyle and signs treaty to preserve that right, it comes along with an implied water
right (analogous to implied right of access in Winans).
Since these cases, there have been contrasting approaches to reserved water rights in the
State Courts.272 A result of these inconsistent adjudications is that most lawyers advise clients
to settle their water claims rather than to test the extent of rights in the Courts.
The Courts have also recognised some in-stream flow protection:

Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation v. Walton, 647 F.2d 42 (9th Cir. 1981)
upheld instream flows to support replacement fishery.

United States v. Adair, 723 F.2d 1394 (9th Cir. 1983) held there is a right to maintain
stream flows to a protected level.

Department of Ecology v. Yakima Res. Irr. Dist., 850 P.2d 1306 (Wash. 1993) held, in
some instances, there will be on and off reservation claims.

United States v. Anderson, 591 F.Supp.1 (E.D. Wash. 1982) upheld claims with
respect to water temperature.
Under the McCarran amendment in 1953 (43 USC 666) the United States waived sovereign
immunity to suits in state court general stream adjudications.273 The amendment allows state
courts to determine federal and Indian reserved water rights in state courts when disposing of
all rights claims to entire river system:

In Colorado River 424 US SC 800 (1976) the Supreme Court held that the McCarren
Amendment applies to suits brought by U.S. as trustee of Indian water rights; the clear
intent in the Amendment is that Congress favoured unified procedures for water
adjudications and wanted to avoid concurrent state and federal proceedings. The
State Court had jurisdiction over Indian water rights under the Amendment despite it
271
S. v. Adair 723 F.2d 1394 (9th Cir. 1983).
See Big Horn (1988) and Gila River (2001).
273
Federal Courts are still available if States acquiesce.
272
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63
clearly being a federal question (Indian reserved right under the Treaty). The Supreme
Court was concerned that there will be a race to litigate.

In San Carlos Apache 463 US 545 (1983) the Supreme Court extended the Colorado
River to the case when the Tribe itself sues, not the US. Court held that the Amendment
authorized states to join Indian tribes in state courts (Amendment waived federal
sovereign immunity but not tribal sovereign immunity). The Court found it was in best
interests of the tribe to join, otherwise they would sit on side-lines when U.S. joined as
trustee of their water rights. Again, consistent with congressional intent for unified
adjudication; court also notes unique nature of these proceedings. Tribe can’t be
“dragged” into the State Court but the water can. Tribes can intervene but they don’t
have to. The Court gets around the disclaimer through the McCarren Amendment as
a federal matter.
The Native American water rights in the Courts is a mixed one. There has been some success
but the Courts approach is varied depending on the particular State, facts and the Supreme
Court bench. There have been some water settlements. The Federal government has
developed criteria and procedures for the participation of the Federal Government in the
negotiations for the settlement of Indian Water Rights. One of the most contentious elements
is the fiscal envelope element that the total cost of a settlement to all parties should not exceed
the value of the existing claims as calculated by the Federal Government. There have been
29 Indian water settlements since 1978 (4 in 2010 lame-duck session of Congress). In
summary, the characteristics of Native American Indian Settlements are:

federal investment in water or water facilities;

non-federal cost-sharing;

creation of tribal trust fund;

limited off-reservation water marketing;


deference to state law;
concern for efficiency, conservation, environment;

benefits for Non-Indians.
There are a number of challenges to the recognition of Native American rights to water. The
States instream flow rules/priority dates are too late to do much good and they are riddled with
exceptions. There is also extensive litigation of instream flow claims by western Washington
tribes and the United States.
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 1971 (ANCSA) is the starting point for discussions
on Indigenous water rights in Alaska. Section 4(b) specifically extinguished all aspects of
aboriginal title. The argument becomes whether this extinguishment of title to land
extinguishes native title to water. ANCSA also includes protection of subsistence rights which
is a potential avenue for recognising water rights. In Alaska, Indigenous groups have sought
to define their water rights and assert their role in water governance through The Centre for
Water Advocacy 2013. The legal landscape of Alaska versus the rest of the United States
provides a particular challenge for Indigenous Peoples in Alaska. In United States the Winters
Doctrine provides protection to water rights under the creation of federal lands. In Alaska, this
HKI-100859-1-273-V1
64
protection is argued under the creation of public lands. However, the definition of public lands
is debated.274
Bolivia
In 1997 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
declared a biosphere reserve and indigenous territory over Pilòn Lajas. 275 The genesis of
creating the unique biosphere reserve and indigenous territory is to maintain the coexistence
of natural and cultural elements. The framework provides a Regional Council to represent the
Indigenous communities and conservation goals of those communities. This increased level
of indigenous involvement provides a self-management scheme for the Indigenous
communities to control. In terms of resource management, most decision making power is
derived from Indigenous communities and the Regional Council. 276
Finland and Sweden
Finland and Sweden both have Sami Parliaments to represent Sami Peoples interests. Finland
and Sweden have private ownership for most resources. This private ownership still
encompasses a public right of access irrespective of ownership status in Finland/Sweden.
Public authorities in Finland must negotiate with the Sami Parliament on a range of matters
including resource management. However, Sweden does not have an equivalent provision or
consultation with Sami Parliament for matters of environmental law. 277
274
Wilson NJ (2014) Indigenous water governance: Insights from the hydrosocial relations of the
Koyukon Athabascan village of Ruby, Alaska Geoforum Vol.57 November 2014, 1-11.
275
Peredo-Videa B (2008) The Pilon Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Indigenous Territory Beni, Bolivia
Green College, Oxford University.
276
Ibid.
277
Salmon, M Sundström and K Zilliacus. 2005. Environmental Management and Natural Resource
Allocation Frameworks of New Zealand, Sweden and Finland: A Comparative Description. Ecologic
Foundation.
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CONCLUSION: POSSIBLE OUTCOMES AND MECHANISMS
The outcome and mechanisms options set out in this Part are based on the research
completed and align to those priorities agreed to by the Crown and the Freshwater ILG. 278
The outcomes may not suit all whānau, hapū and iwi particularly in relation to the spectrum of
various aspirations for rights recognition and the ability to completely (and, in some cases,
solely) protect and control their taonga. However, it is intended that a suite of outcomes be
presented to, and discussed with, the Crown so as to determine which options are viable and
can be presented to whānau, hapū and iwi through the nationwide hui the ILG are holding in
July and August, and then the following Crown engagement with the public. There is some
cross-over between some outcomes and mechanisms but this Report continues to group them
in accordance with the Crown / ILG agreed priorities for recognition:
Alternative forms of iwi relationship to freshwater bodies279
Outcome
Mechanisms
Iwi ownership of Crown owned riverbed & lake
beds and water column280
Title transferred281
Inalienable title created (under iwi and hapū
control)282
Vesting of the water column in iwi and hapū283
Te Awa Tupua approach284
Crown title vested
Legal personality afforded to the awa
Pou (people) as guardians of the awa
Rohe Protection Area (including bed ownership
where necessary)285
Title transferred
Regulatory responsibility retained by iwi
Guaranteed allocation from existing and new
sources to enable iwi and hapū cultural and
economic aspirations, created in collaboration
with local and central government, and in
alignment with kaitiaki responsibilities286
Prioritisation of water allocation for iwi and
hapū
Reviewing of long term consents and the
ability to correct over-allocation through
consent reviews
Namely (1) iwi/hapū/whanau relationships with fresh water and particular freshwater bodies; (2) iwi,
hapū and whanau as kaitiaki and decision-makers for particular waterbodies in their rohe and/or areas
of responsibility; (3) iwi/hapū access to fresh water for marae, papakainga and mahinga kai. A separate
outcomes and mechanisms section has not been created for relationships of iwi / hapū / whānau with
freshwater as this permeates all of the other sections.
279
See Part 4 and Part 5 of this Report.
280
For example, Ngati Tuwharetoa – Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board (ownership of the lake bed and
water column of Lake Taupo and particular tributaries).
281
For example, Ngati Tuwharetoa – Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board. See also Te Arawa Lakes
(although beds transferred without the water column).
282
For example, the mechanism presented to the Crown in the context of the case study of Te Hapori
o Maungatautari.
283
For example, Ngati Tuwharetoa – Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board.
284
For example, the Whanganui River (legal personality of the Whanganui River, among other
mechanisms). All of the mechanisms are specific to those provided for through the Whanganui River
settlement.
285
For example, that advocated by Te Whanau-a-Apanui.
286
For example, the mechanisms presented to the Crown in the context of the case study of Te Hapori
o Maungatautari.
278
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66
Iwi, hapū and whānau as kaitiaki and decision-makers for particular waterbodies in
their rohe and/or areas of responsibility287
Outcome
Mechanisms
Co-management and co-governance
arrangements: planning & consenting288
Expanding co-governance and co-management
arrangements to all catchments
Comparative status of RMA planning
documentation
Maximise and strengthen existing mechanisms
(e.g. RMA)
Use of section 33 (transfer of powers)
compulsorily in particular circumstances
Proactive implementation of JMA provisions
Enhancing the status of Iwi Management Plans
in the RMA
Joint consenting authorities
More iwi and hapū commissioners considering
RMA matters
Inclusion of mātauranga Māori as a relevant and
critical strand for resource management
decision making across all policy development,
projects and monitoring
Resourcing iwi and hapū involvement in
decision-making processes and specific projects
related to rights and interests to water
Rohe Protection Area289
Regulatory responsibility retained by iwi
Iwi/hapū access to fresh water for marae, papakainga and mahinga kai290
Outcome
All marae have secure sustainable access to
quality freshwater at no cost
All marae have infrastructure at no cost to
deliver quality freshwater
All mahinga kai sites are restored and/or
protected
All papakaenga have secure sustainable access
to quality freshwater
All papakaenga have infrastructure to deliver
quality freshwater
Mechanisms
Customary take provisions provided for at a
National level, and in all Regional plans, before
baselines are set 291
Prioritisation of water allocation for iwi and hapū
Inclusion of mātauranga Māori as a relevant and
critical strand for resource management
decision making across all policy development,
projects and monitoring
Resourcing iwi and hapū involvement in
decision-making processes and specific projects
related to rights and interests to water
Additional outcomes / directions
287
See Part 2 and Part 5 of this Report.
For example, the Waikato River example.
289
For example, that advocated by Te Whanau-a-Apanui.
290
See Part 3 and Part 5 of this Report.
291
United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
288
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67
The following mechanisms should also be discussed in the broader context of the Crown /
Freshwater ILG engagement (noting that these may align more with alternative work-streams,
for example Governance, but they are noted in this Report for completeness): 292
Crown/Central Government


More proactive implementation of the rights articulated in the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
More proactive implementation of the recommendations in the Waitangi Tribunal’s
report on the Wai 262 claim for a Treaty compliant resource management system.

Te Mana o Te Wai being a compulsory consideration in the National Policy Statement
(e.g. as an objective).

Strengthen provisions in the RMA for relationships between local government and iwi
and hapū on the basis that tangata whenua are Treaty partners with rights and
responsibilities as kaitiaki (rather than stakeholders) to avoid risks of watering down
the voice of iwi and hapū in collaborative processes.

Providing resourcing to iwi and hapū, particularly those who did not receive comanagement funding, to enable iwi, hapū and whānau to:
 provide guidance to local government on how to be more proactive in
implementing iwi management plans and to build iwi and hapū capacity;
 provide guidance on how to engage with tangata whenua (without restricting
‘partnership’ to iwi authorities); and
 build and strengthen relationships.

Thorough analysis to assess the interrelationship between the various reforms, at
national and regional level, which are being proposed to ensure that the right mix of
measures are adopted to achieve the desired outcomes and to assess how these
measures contribute to the aspirations of iwi and hapū within the region.

Develop mechanisms to include more equitable representation of tangata whenua on
Crown appointed boards of State Owned Entities (e.g. Mighty River Power) and council
owned entities (e.g. Watercare), primarily in terms of more Māori who have expertise
in the particular field and in tikanga on these boards who can then lead and influence
the values, culture and behaviour of these organisations.

Crown resourcing for:
 education in the community, including councillors and council staff, to promote
better understanding of tangata whenua rights and interests; and
 education and training for iwi and hapū to increase knowledge about the RMA
and the relevant processes for iwi and hapū in freshwater management.

Assessing how the Making Good Decisions training programme, and other similar
programmes, can be more accessible and effective for iwi and hapū, particularly in
terms of tangata whenua issues in resource management and freshwater planning.
292
Many of these examples have been taken from those the mechanisms presented to the Crown in
the context of the case study of Te Hapori o Maungatautari.
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68
Local Government 293

Regional Councils showing leadership at local and regional level with ongoing national
level discussions and guidance.

Address legacy issues, recognising past decisions and clearly committing to the
resolution of these issues.

Explore new ways of working together and opportunities to strengthen iwi and hapū
roles in freshwater management.

Comprehensive review of management framework to identify inconsistencies and
opportunities to strengthen.

Implementation guidance for Council practitioners about the relationship of Māori with
their taonga. Clear guidance particularly when advocating a shift from past practices.

Continue conversations on improving freshwater management from an iwi and hapū
perspective with regular meetings.

Workshop/wānanga on prominent issues, solutions and mechanisms.

Work with iwi and hapū to identify collaborative opportunities for joint projects.

Commit to going beyond minimum requirements and truly commit to involving tangata
whenua in decision-making.

Councils contracting suitably qualified tangata whenua, as identified by iwi and hapū,
to advise and provide guidance on certain projects. There is a potential role here for
Central Government to provide funding to enable councils to second or contract iwi
members with kaitiakitanga/matauranga Māori expertise that are regional or iwi
specific.

Engaging with tangata whenua prior to public release of notifications of consents,
policies, discussion documents and other relevant matters.

Resource a work program that strengthens Council capacity and understanding of iwi
and hapū management plans.

Examine mutually beneficial work streams and projects which can contribute to the
capacity and understanding of iwi and hapū groups whilst achieving the objectives of
long term and regional plans (e.g. Waihou Catchment Willow and Poplar Removal
program).

Understand how Councils can work with tangata whenua beyond iwi organisations.
Particularly, at a localised project level there are other tāngata whenua, smaller hapū
groups who are interested in engaging.
293
Whilst these mechanisms are aimed at Local Government, there is a role for Central Government in
terms of national direction, guidance and resourcing.
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69
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APPENDIX – SUMMARY OF PLANNING INSTRUMENTS AND OTHER MECHANISMS
Regional Policy Statement
Northland
Northland Proposed Regional Policy
Regional
Statement (link)
Council
Chapter 8: "Tangata whenua" sets out
the Policies and Methods for:

Participation in decision-making,
Regional Plans
Long Term Plan
Regional Plans GIS data (link)
Long Term Plan 2015 - 2025 (link)

(expected to be formally adopted by
(data available online)
councillors in on 16 June 2015)
Regional Water and Soil Plan Maps
Chapter 7.2 Resource and Catchment
(link)
Chapter 7.3 River Management
Iwi and hapū management plans
Chapter 9.1 Policy on the

Māori land and returned Treaty
Chapter 6: Recognition of and
culture and traditions

Fresh and Coastal Water

Issues of significance to Tangata

Chapter 8: Discharges
Whenua

Chapter 9: Surface Water
Management
Chapter 3: Objectives
Objectives relating to catchment

management and water quality
Chapter 10: Groundwater

2011

Water, land and common resources
o
Environmental Management Committee

o
Regional Transport Committee
development of Māori capacity
Ngāti Rehia Environmental
Management Plan, 2007


Ngāti Kuta Ki Te Rawhiti Hapū

o
Ngā Tikanga mo te Taiao o Ngāti
Kororareka Marae Environmental
Hapū Management Plan, 2009

Draft Ngati Korokoro, Ngati
Chapter 12: Land management

Chapter 13: Integrated
o
Monitor council’s compliance to its obligations to Māori
o
Ensure Māori views are taken into account in council’s
functions

Whaarare me Te Pouka: Hapū
The council has an annual fund which aims to provide Māori
with the opportunity to undertake monitoring projects within
Northland. This contestable fund has an annual allocation of
Plan, 2006
$15,000. In the past council has funded projects such as
lakebeds and development on

Develop meaningful relationships between Māori and
council
Hine, 2008

Te Taitokerau Regional Māori Advisory Committee (established
in May 2014). Its role is to:
Management Plan
Chapter 11: Use of river and
floodplains
Iwi representation on:
Ngā Puhi:
Management

Memorandum of Understanding between Northland Regional
Council and the Te Uri o Hau Settlement Trust
Iwi Resource Management Plan
Environmental Management
Chapter 4: Policies and Methods –
Waiora Northland Water (the council’s integrated programme for
freshwater management in the region) (link)
Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa:
Quantity Management


(link)
Chapter 7: Water Quality


Further information available here:
provision for Māori and their
settlement assets
Chapter 2: Issues
n/a
Other mechanisms
documents
(Maps available online)
Regional Water and Soil Plan (link)

plans and other planning
Agreements
Management

plans, consents and monitoring

Iwi / hapū management
Joint Management
Ngāti Wai:
macroinvertebrate and water quality, kokako monitoring and

shellfish surveys.
Te Iwi o Ngātiwai Iwi
Environmental Policy Document,
Ngātiwai Trust Board, 2007
Catchment Management

Ngātiwai Aquaculture Plan, June

Awanui River Flood Management Plan (link)

Kaihu River Management Plan (link)

Catchment management plans

Māori Liaison Policy

Specific Māori consultation processes relating to resource
2005

Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust Board
Environmental Plan, 2007
management plans resource consent applications. For example,
Ngati Whātua:

the council has a current policy that all applications for resource
Te Uri o Hau Kaitianga o Te
consents, non-notified or notified, are circulated to Māori who
Taiao 2012
have expressed an interest in an area.

Online Maps / GIS data
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71
Regional Policy Statement
Regional Plans
Iwi / hapū management
Joint Management
Long Term Plan
plans and other planning
Agreements
Other mechanisms
documents

Draft Ngā Ture mo Te Taiao o Te
Roroa: Te Roroa Iwi
Environmental Policy Document
Auckland
Auckland Regional Policy Statement
Council
(link)
ACRP: Air, Land and Water (link)
Part 3: Land and Water Resources
Chapter 3: Matters of significance to

Identification and protection of
1, Chapter B; 5.1 of the Proposed
Māori involvement in drafting
Chapter 5 Discharges to Land

Purpose is to drive Auckland Council’s responsiveness to
Māori and better enable it to contribute to Māori well-being
powers and establishment of Joint

Management Agreements.
Made up of:
Kāwana Whakahaere - Governance Support

Chapter 6: Water allocation

Tūhono - Māori Outcomes Programmes

Chapter 7 Beds of Lakes and

Whakatupu - Organisation Effectiveness and
Rivers and diversion of surface
Development
water


Schedule 8 – Sites and Areas of
Chapter 8: Water Quality
Special Values to Tangata

Whenua
Reconises that water quality is a
Te Waka Angamua - Māori Strategy and Relations (link)

involvement in decision making
Focus on consultation

n/a
Management
RPS and plans/ allowing for

Consultation Document (link)
and Water, and Land
taonga

n/a – Although there is a policy in Part
Unitary Plan to enable the transfer of
iwi

'The 10 year budget 2015-2025'
Administration Support

Independent Māori Statutory Board (link)

significant issue for Tangata
Aims to ensure that the council takes the views of Māori
into account when making decisions.
Whenua


Māori values to be provided for in
Māori Responsiveness Framework

management of water quality
Recognising the Treaty of Waitangi and customary rights
through the statutory obligations pertaining to Auckland
Chapter 9: Water conservation and
Council
allocation

Ahikā - Department Business, Finance and

Consultation with Tangata
Contributing to Mana Whenua research and input into
relevant policy and strategy documents.
Whenua

Providing resource in kind such as technical expertise,
research assistance, meeting rooms and event spaces

Auckland Council Open Data (online Mapping system)
nb: Watercare is responsible for the water and wastewater services
around the Auckland region and they collect data about water use in
the region.
Waikato
Waikato Regional Policy Statement
Regional
(link)
Council
Chapter 2.1 Treaty of Waitangi and
Matters of Significance to Māori
Waikato Regional Plan (link)
Chapter 2 Matters of significance to
Māori
Chapter 3 Water module
Long Term Plan 2015-2025– hearings
Joint management agreements (link)
All (links)
occurred the week of 4 May 2015,


plan not yet completed.
Consultation document (link)
Waikato Raupatu River Trust
(Waikato-Tainui) (Comanagement Agreement for
Hauraki - Whaia te Mahere Taiao
a Hauraki

Tai-ranga-whenua - Waikato Regional Council's iwi
relationships team.

Outcomes that support partnership and collaboration with
Māori, and engage with iwi primarily through this team.
Waikato River Related Lands)
HKI-100859-1-273-V1
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Regional Policy Statement

Consultation, inclusion in policy
Regional Plans
Long Term Plan
and plan preparation etc

Te Poari Matua O Raukawa
Recognition of kaitiakitanga

Te Arawa River Iwi Trust

Maniapoto Māori Trust Board
and Ōtorohanga District Council,
Maintenance of mauri of water

Waikato Raupatu River Trust and

Currently the Waikato Regional Council holds a Memorandum
of Understanding with each of the:
Management Plan 2010)

Hauraki Māori Trust Board (link)

Maniapoto - He Mahere Taiao

Ngāti Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board

Motakotako Marae Hapū

Raukawa Trust Board (link)
Management Plan


District Council

Ka Ru a Poutama - Te
Whakauakitanga o Poutama (Iwi
Waikato District Council, Waipa
District Council and Waitomo
Other mechanisms
documents
(Raukawa Settlement Trust)
Chapter 3.4 Water

plans and other planning
Agreements

Chapter 4 River and lake bed module
Iwi / hapū management
Joint Management
Healthy Rivers Wai Ora Committee
Ngati Hikairo Iwi Management

Plan - Freshwater
Healthy Rivers: Plan for Change/ Wai Ora: He Rautaki
Whakapaipai project in the Waikato and Waipa river

Waikato Regional Council
Ngati Hikairo Heritage
catchments.
Management Plan


Raukawa Fisheries Plan

Te Rautaki Taiao A Raukawa Raukawa Environmental
Work with stakeholders to develop a number of land use
scenarios and policy methods to be included in the regional
plan

Integrated Catchment Management Committee

Co-governance committees specific to each iwi relationship

Waikato and Waipa River Iwi values document review –
Management Plan 2015

Rising above the mist - Te
aranga ake i te taimahatanga :

Ngāti Tahu - Ngāti Whaoa Iwi
Waikato Economic Joint Venture study (link)
Environmental Management Plan

The purpose of this report is to provide a review that collates
and documents available information from existing studies
Tahinga Environmental
on values that five Waikato and Waipa River Iwi
Management Plan
(Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa, Raukawa, Waikato-Tainui,

Te Arawa River Iwi Trust -
Maniapoto) hold in relation to the Waikato and Waipa river
Fisheries Plan

Te Arawa River Iwi Trust Environmental Management Plan

catchments.

GIS data (includes information on allocated water take in the
region)
Tūwharetoa - Ngāti Tūwharetoa
Iwi Environmental Management
Plan

Waikato-Tainui Environmental
Plan, Tai Tumu, Tai Pari, Tai Ao
Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty Regional Policy
Regional
Statement
Council
Chapter 2.6 Iwi Resource
Management
Regional Water and Land Plan
Chapter 2: Kaitiakitanga (link)
2015 "Consultation document" (link)
Sets out key issues for 2015 long term
n/a

Complete list (link)

Some BoP iwi/hapū
plan (still at consultation stage).

management plans include:
Identifies issues relating to the
ownership, possession and
management of land, water and

Includes discussion of Treaty
co-governance forums working
 The operative Bay of Plenty Regional Water and Land Plan
establishes a framework for managing the region’s land and water
bodies. The plan applies water quality classifications to lakes,
rivers and streams. Many water bodies are not meeting their

Nga Taonga Tuku Iho - Pirirakau
classification standards, often due to faecal contamination.
Hapū Environmental
HKI-100859-1-273-V1
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Regional Policy Statement

Long Term Plan
plans and other planning
Agreements
geothermal resources, which
towards clean and sustainable
Management Plan, 2004 -
inclusion by local authorities of
are still to be resolved between
water
Tauranga
tangata whenua in resource co-
iwi/hapū and the Crown
making
Objective 15: Water, land,
coastal and geothermal resource
management decisions have

Other mechanisms
documents
Recognises inconsistent
management and decision-

Regional Plans
Iwi / hapū management
Joint Management


Māori constituency seats

Three Māori councillors are elected by voters on the Māori
Whaia te mahere taiao o Hauraki
electoral roll in triennial Local Government elections,
Objectives and policies relating
- Hauraki Iwi Environmental Plan,
representing the Mauāo, Ōkurei and Kōhi Māori
to consultation and iwi
2004 - Paeroa/Thames
constituencies
management of resources

Ngati Whakaue ki Maketu Hapū
Chapter 3: The Integrated
Iwi Resource Management Plan
Management of Land and Water (link)
2009 - Maketu

Rotorua Te Arawa lakes strategy group

management of the Rotorua Lakes and their catchments,
regard to iwi and hapū resource
management planning
documents
Chapter 2.9 Water Quality and Land

Land (link)
Chapter 5: Water Quantity and

Allocation (link)
Use

Chapter 4: Discharges to Water and
Aiming to maintain or enhance
the quality and mauri of water
Lakes and Wetlands (link)
Motiti Island Native Management
for the use and enjoyment of present and future
Plan 2011 - Motiti Island
generations, while recognising and providing for the
traditional relationship of Te Arawa with their ancestral
Ngati Kahu Hapū Environmental
lakes.
Management Plan 2011 
Tauranga, Wairoa
Chapter 6: Beds of Rivers, Streams,

Ngati Rangitihi Iwi Environmental

Management Plan Report 2011 -
Terms of reference (link)
Te Rōpū Kaitohutohu Māori: Māori Policy Section

Matata, Tarawera

To contribute to the promotion of the sustainable
Matakana Rangiwaea Hapū
Part of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Strategic
Development Group

Māori Committee
Management Plan 2012 
Matakana and Rangiwaea
legislative obligations to Māori
Islands

Ngai Te Ahi Hapū Management

Te Maru o Kaituna River Authority

Plan 2013

Primary function is to implement and monitor Council's
The purpose of the Authority (as set out in Tapuika Claims
Settlement Act 2014) is to restore, protect and enhance
Ngati Pukenga Iwi ki Tauranga
the environmental, cultural and spiritual health and well-
Trust Iwi Management Plan 2013
being of the Kaituna River.

Te Mana Taiao O Ngāi

Tamarawaho Hapū Management
Plan - 31 May 2014



Tapuika Environmental

Terms of reference (here)
Rangitaiki River Forum

For the protection and enhancement of the environmental,
Management Plan - July 2014
cultural, and spiritual health and wellbeing of the Rangitāiki
Ngai Tapu Ngai Tukairangi Hapū
River and its resources for the benefit of present and future
Management Plan - 2014
generations.
Ngai Tamawhariua Hapū

Terms of reference (link)
Management Plan - 2015
HKI-100859-1-273-V1
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Regional Policy Statement
Gisborne
District
Regional policy statement
Chapter 3: Water Management (link)
Council
(Unitary

Objective 3 relates to the
Council’s responsibility to
Authority)
Regional Plans
Draft Freshwater Plan (to be
implemented in 2015) (link)
Statutory Acknowledgements (link)

Joint Management
Long Term Plan
2015-2025 Draft Long Term Plan (link)
Agreements
n/a
Iwi / hapū management
plans and other planning
Other mechanisms
documents
Nga Ariki Kaiputahi Hapū/Iwi

Management Plan (link)
Section 6: Fostering Māori
Māori Liaison Group

Council and the Māori Community; assist with Māori
Participation in Decision-Making (link)
consultation etc
Acknowledges various iwi and
recognise and provide for the
hapū connections with bodies of
relationship of Māori and their
water
To promote a two-way flow of information between the

Freshwater Advisory Group

Joint Regional Planning Committee
culture with water and other
taonga
Hawke's Bay
Regional Resource Management Plan
Regional
Includes RPS – joint document
Council
Regional Resource Management Plan
Chapter 5: Regional Plan Objectives
2015-2025 – comments accepted until
May 18 2015
Chapter 2: Key Regional Policy
and Policies (link)
Consultation document (link)
Statement Objectives (link)


Chapter 3: Regionally Significant
Issues, Objectives and Policies (link)
Chapter 3.1B – Urban Development

POL UD6.1 District plans shall,
where appropriate enable
papakainga and marae-based
development in accordance with
Chapter 5.4 Surface water
quality

The funding currently proposed
n/a
Ngati Hori freshwater Resources
Management plan "Operation Patiki",

2009/12 (link)
collectively.

for strategy and planning
Māori Committee

includes integrating Māori
Chapter 5.6 Groundwater quality
Councillors.
Chapter 5.8 Beds of rivers and
lakes

Proposal to step up water
The committee consists of 12 Māori members, 3 from each
of the 4 rohe (areas) within HBRC boundary and 3
values into policy development

HBRC and the Treaty claimant groups have worked

Deed of Commitment
science programme in year 1 of

the plan to help work in the
Between tāngata whenua of Hawke’s Bay and HBRC in
good faith as a measure of their commitment to long term
region's main river catchments.
improvement of the region.
tikanga Māori values, outside
existing urban areas


Hawke's Bay Land and Water Strategy (link)
Objectives 21-27 & 39-43:
Groundwater and surface water
quality/quantity

Objectives 34-36: Matters of
significance to iwi/hapū

Recognition of tikanga Māori,
consultation

The importance of coastal, lake,
wetlands and river environments
and their associated resources to
Māori should be recognised in
the management of those
resources.
HKI-100859-1-273-V1
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Regional Policy Statement
Taranaki
Regional Policy Statement for
Regional
Taranaki
Council

Fresh Water Plan (link)
Chapter 4.1 Recognising and
Part B: Resource Management
providing for Tangata Whenua
Issues of Significance
Chapter 5.1 Enabling appropriate use

Chapter 6: Fresh water (link)

Part C: Resource Management
Issues of Significance to Māori
(link)

Regional Plans
Consultation, recognition of
Long Term Plan
Long Term Plan 2015-2025 –
Iwi / hapū management
Joint Management
plans and other planning
Agreements
n/a
Other mechanisms
documents

n/a
submissions heard 11 May 2015
The Council Policy and Planning Committee includes a
representative of Te Puni Kokiri

Consultation document (link)
Marae waste management initiative “Para Kore”

and development
composting
Chapter 6 Resource issues in the

Taranaki region
Declaration of Understanding developed jointly by the Taranaki
Regional Council and Iwi o Taranaki.
The Draft Freshwater and Land

Management Plan for Taranaki.
Provides guidance in the implementation of the principles
of the Treaty of Waitangi and which applies when giving
kaitiakitanga

Helps marae with waste minimisation, recycling and
effect to its resource management responsibilities.

Restoring, maintaining and
Appointed Mr Sam Tamarapa as the Council’s Iwi
enhancing the cultural
Communications Officer to facilitate discussion between iwi and
relationship and (link)s of Iwi o
Council
Taranaki with the water

Sharing the Waiwhakaiho
resources of the region.


Policy to recongise and support
This project was initiated by Massey University with
partnership from Intercreate.org, NIWA and Taranaki
the aspirations of iwi and hapū
Regional Council. Part of the Project focuses on
concerning the development of
communicating the Waiwhakaiho river’s rich stories,
marae, papakainga, kaumatua
meanings and value to the community.
housing, whare wānanga, water
supplies and other facilities on iwi
and hapū land
ManawatuWanganui
Regional
Council
(Horizons)
Regional Policy Statement (link)
One Plan (link)
Proposed long term plan 2015-2025 -
Part four: Te Ao Māori – He ritenga

Public consultation finished 4 May
mo nga akoha o te tai ao (The Māori
World – Management of Resources)
Part five: Resource Management
Policies

Chapter 2: Te Ao Māori
Chapter 3: Water
Consultation document (link)
n/a
Technical reports used to support

Whanganui Catchment Strategy (link)
policy development in relation to water

Hapū and Iwi Activity
quality and quantity are available

here.
encouraging iwi participation duringdecision-making

These reports include a
processes, recognising iwi interests, and supporting
framework for "Identifying
projects that enhance iwi capacity to participate in resource
Community Values to Guide

Chapter 23. Water

Chapter 24. Lakes, rivers and
wetlands
Focus on participating in settlement processes,
management.
Water Management in the
Manawatu-Wanganui Region."

Memoranda of partnership

Te Kāuru (link)

Ngāti Rangi (link)

Muāupoko (link)

Rangitāne (link)
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Regional Policy Statement
Regional Plans
Iwi / hapū management
Joint Management
Long Term Plan
plans and other planning
Agreements
Other mechanisms
documents

Code of Practice for Wāhi Tapu and Wāhi Tūpuna protection
and discovery
Greater
Regional Policy Statement for the
Wellington
Wellington Region (link)
Regional

Council
Chapter 1.2 Mahitahi – a work in
partnership

Chapter 3.6 Indigenous
ecosystems


Chapter 3.4 Fresh water
(Including public access)

Draft Natural Resources Plan (link)
Chapter 1.3 Integrated
Catchment Management

n/a

consultation document (link)

Establishment of whaitua
committees for 5 whaitua
Taranaki Whanui iwi
Cultural Monitoring Framework

Manawatu River Users' Advisory Group

Memorandum of Partnership
management plan


Between Tangata Whenua ki Te Upoko o te Ika a Maui and
Co-management plan for
Parangarahu Lakes
Greater Wellington Regional Council

Ara Tahi
catchments

A leadership forum made up of the six mana whenua groups
Chapter 4.1.1 Ki uta ki tai and
Chapter 3.10 Resource
integrated catchment
Management with Tangata
management
Whenua
Long Term Plan 2015-2025

in the Wellington region and GWRC

Te Upoko Taiao - Natural Resource Management Committee

Te Upoko Taiao was established to oversee the

Chapter 4.1.4 Mauri

Chapter 4.1.5 Aquatic ecosystem
made up of 7 Councillors and 7 members appointed by the
health and mahinga kai
region’s mana whenua.

Chapter 4.1.7 Ngā Taonga Nui a
development of a new regional plan for the region. It is

Kiwa

Kaitiaki Group

The primary role of the kaitiaki group has been to identify
Chapter 4.1.8 Sites with
sites of significance for mana whenua and advise on how
significant values
best to provide for them in the draft natural resources plan

Chapter 4.3.12 Allocating water

Chapter 4.3.13 Reasonable and

Whaitua Committees

efficient use of water
Part of Te Upoko Taiao's focus on 'integrated resource
management' has included establishment of committees
for the five identified 'whaitua catchments'. The whaitua
committees are (or will be) comprised of representatives
from Te Upoko Taiao, iwi whose rohe falls entirely or partly
in the whaitua boundary committees and community
members who have an interest in land and water
management issues.

Iwi representation of other committees

Mana whenua Project Fund

GWRC makes a pool of funds available to enable mana
whenua to carry out projects, intended to afford mana
whenua the opportunity to exercise rangatiratanga within
the community.
HKI-100859-1-273-V1
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Regional Policy Statement
Regional Plans
Iwi / hapū management
Joint Management
Long Term Plan
plans and other planning
Agreements
documents

Nelson City
Nelson Regional Policy Statement
Nelson Resource Management Plan
Long Term Plan 2015-2025
Council
(link)
volume 1 (link)
Consultation document (link)
Whakatu Management Plan
(Nelson Iwi Management Plan)
(Unitary
Authority)
Chapter 5 Treaty of Waitangi
DO1.1 Māori and Resources

Goal to grow partnership with iwi



Stormwater and flood protection
Tangata Whenua Interests

resources
Resource use that provides
for the relationship of the
Māori culture with their
Relationship with ancestral

Management by tangata whenua

Water management
n/a
Other mechanisms
The Nga Taonga Tuku Iho ki


GIS Mapping Services

Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements (link)

traditional association of an iwi with an identified site/area
Prepared by five of the six

tangata whenua iwi of

Waimea community dam
Recognises the particular cultural, spiritual, historical and
The statutory acknowledgement document attached to
Nelson City Council’s Resource Management Plan and
Nelson with the assistance
GIS maps showing their location can be found.here
of Council, and is a

planning document that
water
Note that these extend across the Marlborough District,
Tasman District and Nelson City
Council is required to take
Freshwater appendix to the NRMP


Increased opportunities for
into account when
(link)
tangata whenua to exercise
preparing or changing the
kaitiakitanga.
Regional Policy Statement,

Kaihautū on senior management team

the 6 local iwi converse with the council, and ensuring the
Regional plan or District
non-Māori community understands and engages with
papakainga housing (Policy
Plan.
Māori.
1.6.7)


Chapter 9 Water

Quality of Natural Waters

Consultation with tangata
Project Maitai / Mahitahi

Tasman
District
Council
improve the water quality of the Maitai / Mahitahi River
(Unitary
Water Allocation
Tasman Regional Policy Statement
Tasman Resource Management Plan
Part 1: Introduction and Interpretation
(link)
(link)
Part IV: Rivers and Lakes
Part 2: General Objectives (link)
Authority)
Part 3: Significant Resource
Management Issues in Tasman
Part V: Water
Long Term Plan 2015-2025
n/a
n/a

GIS Mapping Services

Te Tau Ihu statutory acknowledgements (link)
consultation document (link)

Providing a secure water supply

Working to build relationship with

4: Tangata Whenua interests

Consultation and
Note that these extend across the Marlborough District,
Tasman District and Nelson City

Kaumātua Archdeacon Andy Joseph provides the Mayor and
Elected Members with support around tikanga Māori
tangata whenua
Part VI: Discharges

Region (link)

Working in partnership with Iwi, the community and key
agencies in the region, embarking on a five-year project to
whenua

Job is to be a conduit for conversations. Includes helping
Statement on Fostering Māori Participation in Council DecisionMaking (link)

Waimea Freshwater and Land Advisory Group

Takaka Fresh Water and Land Advisory Group
participation

Protection of wahi tapu, water etc

7: Freshwater Resources

8: River and Lake Resources
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Regional Policy Statement
Regional Plans
Joint Management
Long Term Plan
Agreements
Iwi / hapū management
plans and other planning
Other mechanisms
documents
Part 4: Monitoring and Review (link)
Marlborough
Marlborough Regional Policy
Marlborough Resource Management
2015-2025 Long Term Plan
District
Statement (currently being reviewed)
Plan
Consultation Document (link)
Part 3.2: Iwi
Volume 1 (link)

Recognises kaitiakitanga

Chapter 3: Freshwater

Establishes systems for

Chapter 6: Tangata Whenua and
Council
(Unitary
n/a
n/a

Iwi representative on each of the Standing Committees

Māori Advisory Komiti

Te Tau Ihu statutory acknowledgements (link)

Authority)
consultation
Part 5: Protection of Water
Ecosystems
Note that these extend across the Marlborough District,
Tasman District and Nelson City
Heritage
Volume 2 (link)
Volume 3 (link)
Draft Regional Policy Statement
Chapter 3: Resource Management
Issues of Significance to
Marlborough's Tangata Whenua (link)
Recognises difficulties in accessing
and using cultural resources in
traditional ways.
Issues around the provision of
papakāinga
Te Waihora Joint Management Plan

Canterbury Water Management Strategy (link)
Consultation Document (link)
(link)

Māori Advisory Committee

Mahaanui Iwi Management Plan (link)

Tuia Relationship Agreement (link)
Ngai Tahu Freshwater Policy (link)

Joint Cultural Ecological Restoration Plan (link)

Swimming Water Quality Map

GIS Data System

Improving Urban Waterway Health Project (link)

Living Streams Programme (no longer running but has good
Canterbury
Canterbury Regional Policy Statement
Canterbury Natural Resources
Long Term Plan 2015-2025
Regional
(link)
Regional Plan (link)

Council

Chapter 2: Issues of resource
Chapter 2: Ngai Tahu and the
(Environment
management significance to Ngāi
Management of Natural
Canterbury)-
Tahu
Resources
Improve water management and
look after natural habitats
n/a
Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura (link)

Chapter 4: Provision for Ngāi

Chapter 4: Water Quality
Tahu and their relationship with

Chapter 5: Water Quantity

Chapter 6: Beds of Lakes and
Kai Tahu Ki Otago (link)
resources


Chapter 7: Fresh water
Chapter 10: Beds of rivers and
Rivers

resources available.
Chapter 7: Wetlands
lakes and their riparian zones
Hurunui Waiau River Regional Plan

Land Use and Water Quality Project (a collaborative project
between Environment Canterbury, DairyNZ and other primary
(link)
sector and non-governmental organisations.)
Waitaki Catchment Water Allocation
Regional Plan (link)

Canterbury Water also has a number of local projects and
community groups underway in the region.
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Regional Policy Statement
Regional Plans
Iwi / hapū management
Joint Management
Long Term Plan
plans and other planning
Agreements
Other mechanisms
documents
Pareora Catchment Environmental
Flow and Water Allocation Regional
Plan (link)
Waipara Catchment Environmental
Flow and Water Allocation Regional
Plan (link)
West Coast
2015 Proposed West Coast Regional
Regional
Policy Statement (link)
Council
Land and Water Plan (link)
Long Term Plan 2015-2025

Consultation Document (link)
Part B: Resource Management Issues
of Significance to Poutini Ngāi Tahu

Taking into account principles of

Introduction and a Poutini Ngai
n/a

n/a
Makaawhio and Ngati Waewae representatives as appointees
to the Council’s resource management committee
Tahu Perspective

NPSFM Implementation Programme (link)
Chapter 4. Water Objectives,

Online Maps and GIS Data

Memorandum of Understanding and Protocol (link)
Policies and Methods
the ToW in sustainable
management of resources.

Recognition and provision for the
relationship of Poutini Ngāi Tahu
with ancestral lands, water, etc

Policy: The aspirations of Poutini
Ngāi Tahu concerning the
development of papakainga
housing on Poutini Ngāi Tahu
land will be recognised and
supported.
Part C: Chapter 8. Land and water

Objective: Determine allocation
priorities for water in catchments
where there are competing or
conflicting demands.
Otago
Otago Regional Policy Statement
Regional
(link)
Council
Regional Plan: Water for Otago (link)
Chapter 4: Kai Tahu ki Otago Water
Chapter 2. Treaty of Waitangi
Perspective
Chapter 4. Manawhenua perspective
Chapter 12: Rules: Water Take, Use

Recognises that Papakaika
(or papakainga)housing and
the ability to live on
Long Term Plan 2015 – 2015
n/a

Consultation Document (link)
Water Management and
Allocation in the Future: A

Strategy for Otago (link)

Urban Water Quality Strategy
Between the Council and local iwi - Te Runanga o Ngai
Tahu and Kai Tahu ki Otago

Mana to Mana Group
(link)
and Management


Rural Water Quality Strategy
Forum for discussion on a range of matters with Māori in
Otago.
(link)

Te Roopu Taiao Otago
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Regional Policy Statement
Regional Plans
Iwi / hapū management
Joint Management
Long Term Plan
plans and other planning
Agreements
Other mechanisms
documents

ancestral land is important
relationship between the Papatipu Rūnanga and local
to Kai Tahu

Provides opportunity to foster and grow an effective
authorities of Otago Region
Recognises the principle of
wairua and mauri in the
management of Otago’s
water bodies.
Chapter 6. Water

Objective to recognise and
provide for the relationship
Kai Tahu have with the
water resource in Otago
Southland
Proposed Regional Policy Statement
Regional Water Plan (link)
Long Term Plan Consultation
Regional
(link)

Document (LTP to be adopted by 30
Council
(Environment
Recognises and provides for the
Chapter 3: Tangata Whenua
relationship of Māori and their

Decision making
culture and traditions with water,

Consultation

Recognises that the use and
Southland)
lakes, rivers and wetlands
June 2015) (link)
n/a
Te Tangi a Tauira – Iwi Management

Plan (link)

.
regularly to discuss resource management issues

Charter of Understanding

Relationship agreement between local authorities and
tangata whenua, which covers consultation, shared
decision-making, etc
marae, offers significant social,
Chapter 4: Water
Political forum made up of representatives of Ngāi Tahu
and elected representatives of local government that meet
development of papakāinga and
economic and cultural benefits.
Te Ropu Taiao

River Liaison Committee

Living Streams Programme
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