Latest news with #TeKawerauāMaki
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
'Historic day': Auckland Council vote to pass Waitākere Ranges deed
The Zig Zag track in the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park connects the Titirangi community to its local beach. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Council The relationship between Mana Whenua and the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area, and their role in developing a strategic plan for the area, is now formally recognised in a deed between Auckland Council, West Auckland iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki and the Department of Conservation (DoC). The Deed of Acknowledgement applies to public land within the lush forests of the Heritage Area and crown land managed by DoC. Council's Planning and Policy Committee have on Thursday afternoon voted to agree with the deed and to support the setting up of a new joint committee to preserve the area for future generations. The committee will include representatives from five members from Te Kawerau ā Maki, two from council's governing body, three from local boards and one from DoC. It will be giving advice on to the governing body about decisions relating to the Waitākere Ranges. All members of the planning committee voted to agree with the deed and all but five councillors opposed to the setting up of a joint committee. The joint committee will be developing a strategic plan for the Heritage Area, to support the five-yearly monitoring report required by the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act - which was introduced in 2008. Since the legislation was introduced, there have been no single comprehensive plan for the Heritage Area. The public gallery at the planning committee's meeting on Thursday was filled with more than 40 supporters from Te Kawerau ā Maki, and other iwi and hapu, including Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Ngāti Manuhiri and Ngāti Pāoa. Dozens of members of Te Kawerau ā Maki, and other Iwi and Hapu, including Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Ngāti Manuhiri and Ngāti Pāoa - sing a waiata in celebration of the Deed of Acknowledgement being passed by Auckland Council. Photo: Screenhot via Auckland Council Rangatira and Kaumatua from Te Kawerau ā Maki told councillors that the deed is the most important event since their settlement with the Crown. Waitākere councillor Shane Henderson said it's a "historic day" for Waitākere. He said while the local board does a fantastic job in making key decisions for the Waitākere ranges, West Aucklanders cannot say that the current governance for the ranges is working well. Henderson said the new advisory committee is needed to give proper attention to the Waitākere ranges and ensure its management it more in line with treaty principles. Among the five councillors who voted to support the deed, but were against the setting up of the advisory committee, councillor Mike Lee and councillor Wayne Walker were most vocal about their concerns. Lee said the arrangements for the committee was "not equitable and not fair", and didn't give enough consideration to the investment in the Waitākere Regional Park. Following Lee's comments, councillor Josephine Bartley said her eye keeps twitching after hearing comments from certain people. "I just want to know what are you scared of? Nothing is being taken away from anyone by recognising Tangata Whenua and their ancestral connection to the land - and even then the recognition here is in a very palatable format for those who are scared by way of being a joint advisory panel," she said. Meanwhile, Walker said while he acknowledged that the deed was the right thing to do, he had concerns about the accountability, authority and oversight of the proposed new advisory committee - considering that the council is the primary funder of it. Feedback from an earlier public consultation in April showed 51 percent of submitters from the deed and its elements - including the advisory committee, 39 percent opposed it and 10 percent were neutral or unclear. Thirty-seven percent of the submissions came from within the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area itself. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Newsroom
4 days ago
- Politics
- Newsroom
Crown and council to take voting edge over Māori on Waitakeres body
Joint oversight of the Waitakere Ranges by Māori, Auckland Council and the Crown will not now be through a committee with equal representation after feedback from west Aucklanders, some opposed to 'co-governance'. From initial proposals of an equal five seats for tangata whenua and five representing public bodies, the latest deed to establish the oversight committee has moved to six to five in favour of the council and Crown entities. The change leaves west Auckland-based iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki feeling 'a little bruised, and beaten up' after years of waiting, but accepting it 'could live with' the council's change of representation and wanting to get on and protect the ranges. Iwi chief executive Edward Ashby told Newsroom: 'It was pretty clear there was a fear – and I do think it is an irrational fear because it's an advisory body and we are not the boogie man. But we are really focused on the outcome. We are not too worried by the numbers.' The deed for the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Forum, a body to be set up under a 2008 law but only now being finalised, goes before Auckland Council's policy and planning committee on Thursday. The Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act recognised the 27,700 hectares of publicly owned land in the ranges as nationally significant, needing protection. It specified the Crown, council and nominated iwi to develop the deed and oversight body, a non-statutory body to identify areas of cooperation and develop a strategic plan for the area. It aims to identify areas tangata whenua can contribute to the management of public land and to acknowledge their traditional relationship with the ranges. The five seats for Māori are initially to be taken up by Te Kawerau ā Maki, as another iwi listed in the Act, Ngāti Whātua, has declined. Under the deed, there will be no change of ownership of land under the deed or forum structure, and the forum would not be able to direct spending of council or Crown funds, other than its own delegated budget. In April, the New Zealand First party complained the forum would be an example of 'co-governance' with Māori able to set strategy and veto council or government measures related to the ranges. MP Shane Jones said his party would never agree to an iwi having '50 percent sovereignty over the Waitakere forest'. Ashby dismissed the criticisms in April as scaremongering and said the forum as proposed was not co-governance. If it had been, there would have been a different structure and entity established. The deed simply acknowledged tangata whenua's special relationship with the ranges area. Around 2250 people and organisations made public submissions on the heritage forum deed, with 51 percent in favour, 39 percent against and 10 percent recorded as 'other'. Analysis of the submissions by research firm Ipsos said there was concern among those opposed to the deed at the prospect of 50-50 representation on the joint committee giving tangata whenua 'disproportionate influence' over management of the public land. Those in favour of the deed and shared oversight acknowledged the iwi role of kaitiaki or guardian and the importance of tangata whenua having a strong voice and seat at the table. It appears that public feedback, rather than the political claims by NZ First and the Act Party, has now seen the forum membership weighting changed to favour the public bodies. Council staff recommend three seats for the Waitakere Local Board, two for the council governing body and one for the Department of Conservation – and five seats to be occupied by Te Kawerau ā Maki, to be shared with Ngāti Whātua should that iwi choose at a later date to participate. The role of chair would come from the iwi side and deputy chair from the public bodies. Waitakere ward councillor Shane Henderson says the composition of the forum changed 'in response to feedback, not to scaremongering from central government politicians but the voices of West Aucklanders that fed back into the process'. He said the new balance allowed half of the six-member Waitakere local board to join the forum, with two ward councillors. DoC's strong interests in the heritage area also needed representation. 'So the new numbers work a little better on that basis too.' Te Kawerau ā Maki chief executive Edward Ashby. Photo: Supplied Ashby says the change in representation came after the consultation and was put to Te Kawerau ā Maki by the council. 'It's a place the council came to that we could live with at the end of the day. It's about giving these people some certainty that there would not be a super majority of Māori on the committee. There's been a lot of misunderstanding of the original proposal. 'It's good the deed is out there and people can read it; it clearly says it's advisory, about public land, it does not have power to make any decisions about budgets. That's all in there.' He said the political claims from Jones and Act's David Seymour, among others, led to fears among some members of the public. 'I do understand that if you are reading scaremongering headlines on Facebook you might react. It's unfortunate. 'It's just the political reality of the time. The original proposal was for 50-50, not out of any power grab but simply that the Crown and council was on one side of the equation and on the other side was Te Kawerau ā Maki and Ngāti Whātua. It was as simple as that.' He noted much of the feedback against the proposed deed had come from beyond Waitakere and Auckland. 'But, there's this beautiful area. It's our heartland and I'm biased. It really needs to be looked after. We really need to get together on how we make it work.' The six-five composition of the forum was 'at least an outcome that takes some of the edge out of some people's concerns, even though I think they were not well-founded concerns'. He hoped the compromise result did not turn the clock back in other areas of the country. 'I like to think most New Zealanders are fair minded … and I would hope that progress made is not lost. There's been some really good progressive stories.' The council's policy and planning committee considers the proposed deed on Thursday, with the full Governing Body having the final say before the forum is appointed. Ashby says: 'We just want to get on with it.'
Scoop
29-04-2025
- General
- Scoop
Collaborative Approach To Protect Waitakere Ranges Nothing To Fear
Press Release – Te Kawerau a Maki Te Kawerau ā Maki, the iwi of the Waitakere Ranges, says a proposal for Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland Council (Council) to work more closely with the iwi to protect the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area is focused on preserving the Ranges for everyone and is nothing to fear. Adopted in 2008, the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act recognises the national, regional, and local significance of the Waitakere Ranges heritage area and promotes the protection and enhancement of its heritage features for present and future generations. Section 29 of the Act also sets out that a Deed of acknowledgement must identify any specific opportunities for contribution by tangata whenua to the management of the land by the Crown or the Council, and Te Kawerau ā Maki CEO Edward Ashby says progress on this has been a long time coming. 'Every year for 17 years we have asked for our Deed to progress and every year we have been left waiting,' says Te Kawerau ā Maki CEO Edward Ashby. 'Our aim is not to lock the public out of having any sort of say but to enact what is provided for in law. That is, the collaboration of mandated parties to come up with a plan together and coordinate efforts to protect and enhance all the heritage features of the Ranges including natural and community outcomes,' Mr Ashby says the legislation is largely forgotten and unimplemented with management happening in uncoordinated silos and fear mongering comments that Te Kawerau ā Maki is trying to take control over the whenua is a distraction from the real issue of protecting this taonga. 'This must be one of the only nationally significant places on earth without a plan,' says Mr Ashby. 'We want the area to thrive – to protect threatened species and increase their numbers, to protect our dark skies and landscape qualities, to have better quality recreation for Aucklanders who run, tramp and walk through the Ranges, and for the people that live there – all of us – to have strong communities. We can only do this if we work together.' Mr Ashby says Te Kawerau ā Maki Deed of Settlement promised a new relationship with the Crown based on mutual respect and cooperation but a generation of Te Kawerau ā Maki people are growing up on the broken promise of the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act. 'The Crown is at risk of repeating history. It was the Crown that purchased land without consultation or investigation of customary rights. It was the Crown that failed to apply the regulations it had established to protect Mâori and it was the Crown's actions that led to Te Kawerau ā Maki being virtually landless with no marae of urupā of our own'. Mr Ashby says the Auckland Council had voted unanimously to support the Deed progressing in principle, which included four identified opportunities for it to work together—but now several councillors are backtracking on that decision. 'Our culture, our indigeneity, and our legal rights have been framed as a threat but we must emphasise that decision making powers about the Waitākere Ranges remain with their respective entities: the Council and the Department of Conservation will continue to make final decisions over land where it is custodian as will Te Kawerau ā Maki. This is simply about us working together.' Notes: Te Kawerau ā Maki are a West Auckland-based iwi, with the tribal heartland of the iwi being Hikurangi and Ngā Rau Pou ā Maki (Waitākere Ranges). Te Kawerau ā Maki are represented by Te Kawerau Iwi Settlement Trust, which is the post-settlement governance entity established and mandated through the Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Act to represent the iwi and to administer Treaty settlement assets. Today our iwi is in the process of rebuilding our political, social, cultural, environmental, and economic well being. This includes our visible presence at the Arataki Centre, the Henderson Civic Building, and our planned marae at Te Henga and Te Onekiritea (Hobsonville).
Scoop
29-04-2025
- General
- Scoop
Collaborative Approach To Protect Waitakere Ranges Nothing To Fear
Press Release – Te Kawerau a Maki Mr Ashby says Te Kawerau Maki Deed of Settlement promised a new relationship with the Crown based on mutual respect and cooperation but a generation of Te Kawerau Maki people are growing up on the broken promise of the Waitkere Ranges Heritage … Te Kawerau ā Maki, the iwi of the Waitakere Ranges, says a proposal for Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland Council (Council) to work more closely with the iwi to protect the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area is focused on preserving the Ranges for everyone and is nothing to fear. Adopted in 2008, the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act recognises the national, regional, and local significance of the Waitakere Ranges heritage area and promotes the protection and enhancement of its heritage features for present and future generations. Section 29 of the Act also sets out that a Deed of acknowledgement must identify any specific opportunities for contribution by tangata whenua to the management of the land by the Crown or the Council, and Te Kawerau ā Maki CEO Edward Ashby says progress on this has been a long time coming. 'Every year for 17 years we have asked for our Deed to progress and every year we have been left waiting,' says Te Kawerau ā Maki CEO Edward Ashby. 'Our aim is not to lock the public out of having any sort of say but to enact what is provided for in law. That is, the collaboration of mandated parties to come up with a plan together and coordinate efforts to protect and enhance all the heritage features of the Ranges including natural and community outcomes,' Mr Ashby says the legislation is largely forgotten and unimplemented with management happening in uncoordinated silos and fear mongering comments that Te Kawerau ā Maki is trying to take control over the whenua is a distraction from the real issue of protecting this taonga. 'This must be one of the only nationally significant places on earth without a plan,' says Mr Ashby. 'We want the area to thrive – to protect threatened species and increase their numbers, to protect our dark skies and landscape qualities, to have better quality recreation for Aucklanders who run, tramp and walk through the Ranges, and for the people that live there – all of us – to have strong communities. We can only do this if we work together.' Mr Ashby says Te Kawerau ā Maki Deed of Settlement promised a new relationship with the Crown based on mutual respect and cooperation but a generation of Te Kawerau ā Maki people are growing up on the broken promise of the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act. 'The Crown is at risk of repeating history. It was the Crown that purchased land without consultation or investigation of customary rights. It was the Crown that failed to apply the regulations it had established to protect Mâori and it was the Crown's actions that led to Te Kawerau ā Maki being virtually landless with no marae of urupā of our own'. Mr Ashby says the Auckland Council had voted unanimously to support the Deed progressing in principle, which included four identified opportunities for it to work together—but now several councillors are backtracking on that decision. 'Our culture, our indigeneity, and our legal rights have been framed as a threat but we must emphasise that decision making powers about the Waitākere Ranges remain with their respective entities: the Council and the Department of Conservation will continue to make final decisions over land where it is custodian as will Te Kawerau ā Maki. This is simply about us working together.' Notes: Te Kawerau ā Maki are a West Auckland-based iwi, with the tribal heartland of the iwi being Hikurangi and Ngā Rau Pou ā Maki (Waitākere Ranges). Te Kawerau ā Maki are represented by Te Kawerau Iwi Settlement Trust, which is the post-settlement governance entity established and mandated through the Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Act to represent the iwi and to administer Treaty settlement assets. Today our iwi is in the process of rebuilding our political, social, cultural, environmental, and economic well being. This includes our visible presence at the Arataki Centre, the Henderson Civic Building, and our planned marae at Te Henga and Te Onekiritea (Hobsonville).
![Te Kawerau a Maki - Latest News [Page 1]](/_next/image?url=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.scoop.co.nz%2Fstories%2Fimages%2F1908%2Fscoop_image.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Scoop
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Te Kawerau a Maki - Latest News [Page 1]
Collaborative Approach To Protect Waitakere Ranges Nothing To Fear Mr Ashby says Te Kawerau ā Maki Deed of Settlement promised a new relationship with the Crown based on mutual respect and cooperation but a generation of Te Kawerau ā Maki people are growing up on the broken promise of the Waitākere Ranges Heritage ... More >> Auckland Iwi Becomes Proud Owner Of School Properties Friday, 6 November 2020, 12:19 pm | Te Kawerau a Maki Te Kawerau ā Maki and the Accident Compensation Corporation have become proud owners of four schools in Auckland as part of the tribe's Treaty Settlement. The deal involves the purchase and lease back of Campbells Bay Primary, Waterview Primary, ... More >> Mana whenua sets the record straight Thursday, 25 July 2019, 4:45 pm | Te Kawerau a Maki The people of Te Kawerau ā Maki have worked hard to secure substantial redress for past wrongs and will not tolerate a campaign of misinformation about their whenua, says the tribe's chairman Te Warena Taua. More >> List of Waitakere Ranges tracks considered safe Thursday, 21 June 2018, 5:10 pm | Te Kawerau a Maki Te Kawerau a Maki would like to clarify and confirm the list of tracks within and surrounding the Waitakere Ranges forested area (the Waitakere Rahui) that are currently* considered safe to use and for which controlled public access has been authorised ... More >> Waitākere Ranges Closure Tuesday, 1 May 2018, 5:38 pm | Te Kawerau a Maki Auckland Council voted on 10 April to close the forested area of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park, with some exceptions, by 1 May 2018. The Council's stated criteria for exceptions (tracks that can be opened) include 'whether they are outside the ... More >> Auckland Council Consultation on Waitākere Ranges Closure Tuesday, 13 March 2018, 10:42 am | Te Kawerau a Maki Auckland Council are currently seeking community feedback on their proposal to close the forested area of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park, with some exceptions, by 1 May 2018. The criteria for exceptions (tracks that can be opened) include whether ... More >>
