Minutes of Māori Committee - Wednesday, 6 March 2024

1. Welcome/Karakia /Apologies

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and Api Robin opened with a karakia. Members and staff were invited to introduce themselves.

Resolution

MC1/24 That the apologies for absence from councillors Will Foley and Charles Lambert be accepted.

Eden/Paku

CARRIED

2. Conflict of interest declarations

There were no conflicts of interest declared.

Alternate member appointments

MC2/24

Resolution

That Ana Te Whaiti be appointed as a member of the Maori Committee for the meeting of 6 March 2024 as a short term replacement on the Committee for Heretaunga Taiwhenua.

Ormsby/Sciascia

CARRIED

4. Confirmation of Minutes of the Māori Committee held on 2 August 2023

MC3/24

Resolution

Minutes of the Māori Committee meeting held on Wednesday, 2 August 2023, a copy having been circulated prior to the meeting, were taken as read and confirmed as a true and correct record.

Mita/Barber

CARRIED

Call for minor items not on the Agenda

Recommendations

That the Māori Committee accepts the following minor items not on the agenda for discussion as item 15.

Topic	Raised by
Maori in procurement processes	Peter Eden
Update to government policy	Te Pou Whakahire
Updates to land categorisation	Te Pou Whakahire

Room for rivers and nature-based solutions presentation by Tom Kay

Tom Kay from Forest & Bird introduced himself and ran through his presentation. The presentation and discussions highlighted:

· During Cyclone Gabrielle trees and shrubs planted along the Ngararoro were swept down the river causing damage and damning up the river but trees and vegetation are a natural and essential part of the river ecosystem. This issue could be mitigated by appropriate planting in the right places, more opportunities for the river to discharge energy, and different approaches to bridge construction.

· River braid plane areas were claimed and used by landowners in the past; an issue that was addressed as part of resource management law reform but has now been undone so there is a need to advocate for change to the way river channels are used.

· There is a general need for a change to river management and development on flood plains or areas of risk.

· The challenge with giving room to rivers is around scale after lots of decisions over many years put land around rivers into private ownership, but the concept is useful and relevant to the Regional Council’s flood scheme reviews.

MC4/24

Resolution

That the Māori Committee receives and notes the Room for rivers and nature-based solutions presentation by Tom Kay.

Robin/Sciascia

CARRIED

Māori Committee workshop findings and strategic response

Te Wairama Munro introduced the paper which was taken as read.

MC5/24

Resolutions

That the Māori Committee:

1. Receives and notes the Māori Committee work programme staff report.

2. Provides feedback to enable the work plan to be completed.

3. Agrees to Māori Committee time being used for a mix of formal decision-making meetings and priority focused workshops.

Maaka/Mita

CARRIED

Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) consultation and engagement

Katrina Brunton and Bryce Cullen introduced the item, explaining that the RLTP is almost entirely focused on recovery. Discussion highlighted:

· The importance of wages for public transport bus drivers/

· Projects included in the RLTP are largely made up of recovery spending and therefore it’s important for the Committee to have visibility, especially in relation to opportunities for employment and business.

Roger Maaka left the meeting at 11:06am

· The importance of involving Māori and local businesses in procurement for projects in general and the acknowledgement that projects included in the RLTP will be subject to a range of procurement processes undertaken by various agencies.

Roger Maaka re-joined the meeting at 11:10am

· The importance of planning for resilience across the Transport network.

MC6/24

Resolutions

That the Māori Committee:

1. Receives and considers the Regional Land Transport Plan consultation and engagement staff report.

2. Provides advice to staff on the best way to engage with tangata whenua during the RLTP consultation period to encourage feedback.

Robin/Sciascia

CARRIED

Whitiwhiti Ora Project

Nathan Heath introduced himself and Melissa Robson Williams – the project leader, and explained that the project had been a productive experiment in working as a tripartite with the results produced being useful to all parties, and beyond that the project was also an opportunity to build stronger relationships.

Melissa Robson Williams presented the methodology used and outcomes, highlighting the way that cultural and community values had been assessed.

Katrina Kawana, involved in the project on behalf of Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust, joined the speakers and emphasised the way that Mātuarunga Māori had been genuinely integrated into the project.

Discussions traversed:

· The intersection with the Land for Life Project and the opportunity for landowners to produce ecological as well as economic value.

· Interest in carrying the work into other catchments.

· Clarification that while some economic analysis had been undertaken the cost of doing nothing had not been undertaken as part of this work.

· Interest in the possibility of growing native scrub for honey despite current market issues as those issues are considered temporary.

· A general interest in projects that combine western science and mātauranga Māori with a view that workshop time for the Committee could highlight more of these projects. Further, a wero was issued to the Chief Executive to aim for this to become a standard way of working.

· Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust is working on modelling for Māori land and there’s a need for ongoing conversations with whanau with privately-held land that may be less economically viable to put into scrub.

MC7/24

Resolution

That the Māori Committee receives and notes the Sediment and Cultural Values in Wairoa: Overview Report.

Robin/Sciascia

CARRIED

The meeting adjourned at 12.13pm and reconvened at 12.44pm

10.

February 2024 Statutory Advocacy update

Nicola Nicolson introduced the item, which was taken as read, and highlighted the uncertainty about the full extent of legislative reform by the new government. Nic Peet elaborated, that:

· Te Mana O Te Wai will likely be rebalanced to give more weight to the economic impacts of fresh water regulation.

· The Government Policy Statement on Transport emphasises quicker travel times, with a focus on roads as well as resilience and less funding for public transport.

· The Order In Council (OIC) to enable fast tracking of approvals is different than the Fast Track Approvals Bill, for which no detail has been released. The OIC shortens the consenting timeframe to 30 days for the 8 locations under category 2 around the region while maintaining the requirement for appropriate work around assessing cultural impacts and environmental effects.

Questions and discussions included:

· The Regional Council doesn’t have a position on the Maraekakaho quarry application as the Environmental Protection Authority is the decision-maker. Council provided technical information on environmental effects.

· People in Pōrangahau have been greatly affected by the Category 2 process in terms of the Marae rebuild and there’s a need for a temporary fix as the māoritanga of the tangata whenua is demolished.

MC8/24

Resolution

That the Māori Committee receives and notes the February 2024 Statutory Advocacy update.

Robin/Sciascia

CARRIED

12.

HBRC Chair / CE verbal updates on current issues

Hinewai Ormsby and Nic Peet presented their verbal updates to the Committee including:

· Work is underway to bring one voice to speak to government with in terms of the regional recovery, through regional collaboration and partnerships.

· A letter was sent from the Chair and Chief Executive of Hawke’s Bay Regional Council to all Chairs of Post Settlement Governance Entities and Taiwhenua in the rohe as well as Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated emphasising the importance of these relationships and that the Regional Council is committed to continuing to work together regardless of central government.

· Māori constituency councillors want to keep their seats and the Council is supportive of that.

· A memorandum of understanding with Tamatea Pōkai Whenua has been accepted by the Council.

· With the extension to 2025, work is ongoing to develop Te Mana O Te Wai vision statements.

· The announced $250 Million for flood protection schemes will be in the Long Term Plan. More widely, in the development of this three year plan the Council will look at all of its activities across the board, its mandate and its relationships and what it is investing in.

· The review into the Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group’s response to Cyclone Gabrielle, chaired by Mike Bush, is due to be released toward the end of March and received by the Joint Committee.

· Te Wairama Munro has been appointed Te Pou Whakarae and will formally take up the position in mid-April.

MC9/24

Resolution

That the Māori Committee receives and notes the HBRC Chair / CE verbal updates on current issues.

Sciascia/Siers

CARRIED

11.

Take Ripoata ā Takiwā – Taiwhenua representatives' updates

The Chair invited Te Wairoa to present first, and representatives highlighted:

· Paul Kelly is absent so his written report cannot be elaborated on.

· A desire to note the recovery work undertaken by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and Waka Kotahi in Nuhaka and the quality of communications more broadly in the Wairoa rohe around recovery works.

· A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Wairoa Taiwhenua and the Wairoa Awa Restoration project for graduates from Te Wānanga O Raukawa to undertake E-DNA monitoring.

· The Taiwhenua will meet in the coming week to discuss bringing more Māori businesses under their umbrella and preparing for infrastructure projects.

Te Whanganui ā Orotu highlighted:

· Currently recruiting for a CEO.

· The contributions of Rosy Hiha, who stood down from the committee in the time since the previous meeting, were acknowledged.

· A substantial proportion of marae are still out of action post-cyclone, which has resulted in large tangi having to be hosted at home, and a big push is underway to get them up and running.

· Council and government procurement is an important issue (as highlighted in the discussion of item 8).

Councillor Sophie Siers left the meeting at 1:21pm

· That kaumatua had been invited to engage in naming streets in the Mission Hills housing development.

Heretaunga made a presentation on the Nga Pou Mataara Hou research project which started life as an HBRC-funded cultural values project to inform Plan Change 6. Highlights Included:

· Tamatea was involved at the start, and there were exchanges around views on mauri as part of that but ultimately representatives had said “thanks, but no thanks” due to wanting to pursue a whare tapa whā based model.

· When the project started there was no regular cultural monitoring work for the Tukituki with only some being done in connection to individual consents. These had largely been one off and had not painted a picture.

· The project went up river assessing cultural values through asking questions about mauri and worked to reach hapu who affiliated to the awa, even those who did not live there.

· They initially worked with the Council to bring western scientific information into the discussions with hapu.

· The Council funded the project for one year in late 2017 and the Taiwhenua supported it in the time since.

· Governance oversight was provided by Heretaunga Marae representatives via Te Runanganui o Heretaunga.

· The project adapted in response to criticism from respondents – where respondents had been uneasy and felt the project was underqualified to measure mauri in a quantifiable way – they created questions about things around mauri.

· Indicators were grouped into a framework of wairua, mana and whakapapa.

Dianne Smith joined the meeting at 1:36pm

· Working with the Ministry for the Environment to access funding for ongoing work led to adapting the project for a wider application. Bringing the project to the Karamū they worked with hapu to redefine the indicators in accordance with their values but within the same framework.

· They are excited to continue to develop the project, bring it to other awa in the rohe, and share their methodologies with other projects.

· The political complexity of the environment all organisations are working in and the importance of focusing on the takiwā rather than having conflict with each other was acknowledged.

Tamatea highlighted:

· Trying to work through how to engage better with the Council on environmental issues at all levels, which the Tamatea Pōkai Whenua letter is a part of, and also how to work together between the Taiwhenua and Tamatea Pōkai Whenua.

· The restoration of Whatumā lake is a core project and will update the Committee at the next meeting.

· Currently working with Woolworths on a Consent application with impacts for the lake.

· Three substantial consent applications for solar farms near state highway 50 on the plains are potentially a big thing.

· Looking to be heavily involved in the water security conversation that has reemerged.

· Working with the Department of Conservation to enable more access.

· Working with the Ministry of Primary Industries to ensure awareness of the Ngāti Kere rahui on taking paua. Ministry staff were impressed by the recovery of paua stocks.

· Leveraging relationships to keep trawlers out of the bay at Pōrangahau is proving effective.

· Desperate to use marae again, essential for māoritanga.

· A desire to see local contractors used in the recovery work at Pōrangahau and offended that out-of-town contractors were used for some rapid rebuild and response work given the free labour contributed by the community in the direct aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated highlighted:

· Ongoing involvement in the hui around the country in response to the change of direction by central government.

· NKII will host a Hui Taumata on 31 May at Omahu Marae to further the conversation started at other hui around Kotahitanga. Looking to create a united voice for Iwi Māori including both Iwi and also wider Māori organisations.

· Rangatira from across the motu will attend, including Kīngi Tūheitia.

· In terms of the Tai Ao space, the tai ao team is working with the Taiwhenua on a range of resource consent applications.

· Providing temporary housing in response to the cyclone is ongoing and providing plenty of work for the housing team.

MC10/24

Resolution

That the Māori Committee receives and notes the Take ripoata ā takiwā – Taiwhenua representatives’ updates.

Ormsby/Paku

CARRIED

13.

Revenue and Financing Policy Review update

The item was taken as read and Sarah Bell and Beth Postlewaight were invited to answer questions, which covered:

· The submissions highlighted the issues people had with the submission period being over the holiday period, however broad feedback was received, especially around some newspaper articles and from key sector groups.

· At the best of times it’s difficult to effectively engage with Māori. Rates are an important issue for Māori and it’s important to find ways to better communicate with Māori.

· The Council will take the learnings from this consultation process into the upcoming Three Year Plan consultation.

· A social impact assessment was carried out to ensure that it was the case that rates will go down in low socio-economic areas.

MC11/24

Resolution

That the Māori Committee receives and notes the Revenue and Financing Policy Review update.

Robin/Sciascia

CARRIED

14.

Report from the Climate Action Joint Committee

Dr Pippa McKelvie-Sebileau introduced the item, which was taken as read, and highlighted:

· The Climate action Joint Committee was established almost a year previously and has been through a process emphasising whakawhanaungatanga, culminating in the living vision and strategy document that was shared in the agenda.

Discussions covered:

· In addition to Roger Maaka and Paul Kelly, appointed to the Climate Action Joint Committee by the Māori Committee, all PSGEs were invited to appoint a representative with so far seven taking up the offer.

· Making sure projects like those highlighted earlier in the meeting that incorporate Mātuaranga Māori in the study of te taiao are being considered in the climate action space.

MC12/24

Resolution

That the Māori Committee receives and notes the Report from the Climate Action Joint Committee.

Maaka/Sciascia

CARRIED

15.

Discussion of minor items not on the Agenda

Topic	Raised by
Maori in procurement processes	Peter Eden
Update to government policy	Te Pou Whakahire
Updates to land categorisation	Te Pou Whakahire

Because the topics raised had been addressed in the agenda items the Chair proposed and it was agreed that Item 15 did not need to be discussed.

Bayden Barber closed the meeting with a karakia.

Closure:

There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed at 2.25pm on Wednesday, 6 March 2024.

Signed as a true and correct record.

Date: by Māori Committee resolution 5 June 2024 Chair: Mike Paku