Extracts from Waitangi Tribunal commentary, findings and recommendations on the Resource Management Act 1991

It does not include references from Waitangi Tribunal reports released prior to the RMA that, alongside cases brought before the courts, also shaped the provisions that were included in the RMA. Only extracts found in the analysis, findings and recommendations of the Waitangi Tribunal’s reports on the RMA have been included in this document. Text is not included when describing the provisions in the RMA, just the findings and recommendations about them. Where there are multiple stages of a Waitangi Tribunal claim with separate reports or interim reports published, only the latter stage or final reports are included.

This document does not include the latest Crown position on the Tribunal findings. It provides a collation of the Tribunal’s commentary, findings and recommendations.

Under the Environment Act 1986, Manatū Mō te Taiao / the Ministry for the Environment is to ensure full and balanced account is to be taken of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in the management of natural resources. The Ministry’s functions under section 31(c)(i) include providing the Government, its agencies and other public authorities advice on the application, operation and effectiveness of a list of 37 Acts with this and other objectives.

This document supports this function for the RMA, within the Ministry and Crown’s broader responsibilities that flow from Te Tiriti o Waitangi.