The section reports on:
- funding for Māori/iwi participation in RMA processes
- Māori input into consents and plans
- statutory acknowledgements
- consultation with iwi in resource consents applications.
Funding for Māori participation in RMA processes
Fifty-six percent (47) of local authorities reported that they had made a budgetary commitment to Māori/iwi participation in RMA processes in 2003/2004 compared to 49% in 2001/2002, 65% in 1999/2000 and 58% in 1997/98.
Māori input into contents and plans
Sixty five percent of local authorities have criteria or provide guidance for their staff to determine when iwi or hapu are likely to be affected parties in a resource consent application and should be notified of the proposal. This is a slight increase from the 59% in 2001/2002 and 61% recorded in 1999/2000.
Iwi management plans can be used for input into consents and plans. The Resource Management Amendment Act 2003 altered the status of these documents. When preparing plans or policy statements local authorities are now required to take into account iwi management plans. Guidance on iwi management plans is provided in the Ministry for the Environment publication Whakamaui ki Nga Kaupapa: Making the best of Iwi Management Plans under the Resource Management Act 1991, published in 2001 and updated in 2003.
Of those councils that have criteria or provide guidance for their staff to determine when iwi or hapu are likely to be affected parties in a resource consent application 42% (23) made written criteria/set policy available to the public for consent applications.
A new question was asked for the 2003/2004 survey - for how many resource consents processed in 2003/2004 was formal consultation with iwi undertaken? Overall 10,709 (20%) of all resource consents had formal consultation with iwi.
Statutory acknowledgements
Statutory acknowledgements were introduced in the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 and represent an innovative approach to improving existing RMA processes by incorporating Ngai Tahu interests into resource management decision-making.
There are 25 local authorities whose boundaries fall within the Ngai Tahu rohe. Twelve of these local authorities received resource consent applications in 2003/2004 that affected statutory acknowledgements, compared to eight in 2001/2002 and 17 in 1999/2000.
789 resource consent applications were received in 2003/2004 affecting statutory acknowledgements. Ninety-five percent were received by regional councils - Northland Regional Council receiving 220 of them, Otago Regional Council 185, Environment Southland 178, and Environment Canterbury 146. 589 and 391 resource consent applications were received in 2001/2002 and 1999/2000 respectively affecting statutory acknowledgements.
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Māori Participation in RMA Processes
March 2005
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