Komiti Māori Members 2023

(L-R) Councillors: Te Taru White, Malcolm Campbell, Kevin Winters, Andrew von Dadelszen, Ron Scott, Ken Shirley, Jane Nees, Doug Leeder, Lyall Thurston, Toi Kai Rākau Iti, Stuart Crosby, Kat Macmillan, Paula Thompson Matemoana McDonald (Komiti Māori Chairperson). (Back) Chief Executive: Fiona McTavish. 

Nau mai ki Komiti Māori

Komiti Māori will be held on Tuesday 20 June 2023 in Council Chambers at Regional House, 1 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga

It will start at 9.30. Morning tea and lunch will be provided.

Presentations will be heard from:

• Ministry for the Environment Updates - Eugene Berryman-Kamp, Lorena Stephen, Anne Haira
• Toi Kai Rawa Update - Te Horipo Karaitiana
• He Toka Tu Moana Scholarship Recipients

The meeting agenda is now available on the Toi Moana website.   

If you have any further questions, please contact Kataraina O'Brien.

Fresh Water Management Hui Update

Ko te wai te oranga o ngā mea katoa, simply put, water is the life essence of all living things. From a Te Ao Māori worldview nothing exists in isolation, rather, everything is connected.

We all have a responsibility to look after our freshwater and this also means looking after the land and managing it well.

Regional Councils across Aotearoa New Zealand are tasked with implementing Central Government’s policies on fresh water, which provides a local opportunity to develop new rules for freshwater in our region.

Over the past two weeks Māori Councillors in their respective constituency have hosted three hui-ā-rohe.

Presentations by staff included an overview of NPSFM, Te Mana o Te Wai and the work the Council has done so far.

These hui presented an opportunity for tangata whenua to express their views on freshwater management, with constructive discussions held.

Attendees connected with our iwi presenters who spoke on their wai Māori projects. A big thank you to John Rapana of Ngāti Mākino, Pia Bennett from Tauranga Moana and Katerina Pihera-Ridge of Ngāti Rangiwewehi for their time and sharing their knowledge.

A further round of hui-ā-rohe will be held in August 2023, however Regional Council maintains an open invite for iwi, hapū and tangata whenua to engage with us.

Regional Council have also been hosting drop-in session events across the Bay of Plenty with more to come. This is an opportunity for the community to provide feedback on draft policy options currently being considered.

You can access a full calendar of events along with more information here.

You can also provide feedback online by heading to our Participate page.

Access to Freshwater Experts (A2E)

Access to Freshwater Experts (A2E) is a free service, designed to enable iwi and māori, councils and community groups involved with freshwater management to access expert knowledge and support, to implement the Essential Freshwater reform programme. Support could include technical, policy, or more general expertise as required by target groups. The service connects you to freshwater experts who can provide support on everything from nutrients and sediment to wetlands and mahinga kai to produce a tailored response to your freshwater issue. The experts can provide tangata whenua with the guidance and advice needed, making it easier to follow - and understand - how the upcoming changes might impact tangata whenua.

A2E has been designed to equip tangata whenua with the expertise required to engage with regional councils in alignment with the Government’s Essential Freshwater reform package. This may include coordinating wānanga, capability building, technical facilitation and more.

Find out more on the BECA website (this will go live on 12/13 June), on New Zealand Landcare Trust website or you can phone 0800 MFE A2E (0800 633 223) or email freshwater@access2experts.net.nz 

A2E Webinar series - Guidance for Implementing NPS-FM requirements

A four-part series of webinars to discuss the Guidance for implementing the NPS-FM requirements, are being planned for the coming month. Authors of the technical guidance documents have been engaged to run a short presentation to cover the key content and share best practice. These webinars will be hosted by A2E, Access to Experts (a Ministry for the Environment service delivered by Beca and the New Zealand Landcare Trust), and the upcoming series will cover guidance on sediment, mahinga kai, nutrients, and iwi perspectives.

About A2E

Beca and the New Zealand Landcare Trust (NZLT) have been commissioned by the Ministry for the Environment to deliver a fully funded service, to enable councils, iwi, and community groups involved with freshwater management, to access expert knowledge and support, to implement the Essential Freshwater policies and regulations. Please see details below on the first webinar we will be delivering.

1. NPS-FM Overview and Iwi Perspectives Webinar

This webinar covers overall Māori framing of the NPS and introduction of the impact of Te Mana o Te Wai, mahinga kai, nutrients and sediment on Māori values. It is scheduled for Monday, 26 June at 2pm.

NPS-FM and iwi perspectives is scheduled for Wednesday, 28 June at 2pm. A rough outline of the agenda is provided below:

The purpose of these webinars is to provide a forum for councils to learn about the technical guidances and to hear of some examples where others have successfully implemented the policies in the Essential Freshwater package. We will also be offering a dedicated Q&A session at the end of the presentation to allow attendees to ask any specific questions they may have in relation to the guidance on implementing NPS-FM sediment requirements. Please note, questions will be collected ahead of time via the following Slido link (https://app.sli.do/event/4XJz8ehv4bb6uZ9JTPNARH) to enable the presenters are able to target their content and produce quality answers.

These sessions will be recorded and will be posted on the A2E website post the webinar. We are still confirming authors and dates for the next webinars in our four-part series so keep an eye out for more details that will be shared soon.

Registration of Interest

These webinars present a valuable opportunity to better understand the Ministry for the Environment’s guidance’s and how to apply the guidance in relation to freshwater management.

To register your interest or if you have any questions regarding these webinars, please email the A2E team on freshwaterexperts@beca.com.

Please use the text: Registration for Guidance Webinar in the subject line.

Funds available for Community led adaptation planning 

Through the Long-Term Plan 2021-2024 process, funding was identified for community and iwi led climate change adaptation planning. The objective of the funding is to enable grass/flax roots planning directly by communities at their scale, for example a catchment group or hapū, in recognition that communities are deeply connected to place and changes to that place.

Council’s Community led adaptation planning initiative has so far supported six tangata whenua led projects. These projects are led by: Ngāti Whakaue ki Maketū, Ngāi Tamawhariua, Ngāti Ranginui, Motuhora Island Trust, Te Manatōpū Hau Kainga o Ōhinemutu, and Te Upokorehe Iwi Resource Management Team.

The available funding is targeted at existing place-based community organisations and iwi, hapū or marae in the Bay of Plenty. Funding is available for individual projects up to a maximum of $15,000 in value. 

More information can be found here or contact us for an application form at ClimateChange@boprc.govt.nz

Te Hapai Ora - Regional Community Outcomes Fund

Te Hāpai Ora - Regional Outcomes sponsorship fund is now open.

Do you have a project that aligns with our four regional community outcomes;

He taiao ora (A healthy environment)

Te mana o te wai (Freshwater for life)

Kia haumaru, kia pakari te hapori (Safe and resilient communities)

Toitū te rohe (A vibrant region)

If so, and your project is directly relevant to the Bay of Plenty rohe, and you require financial assistance then we want to hear from you!  

Te tuhinga hukihuki o te Rautaki Whakawhanake i te Āpōpō o Rotorua

Draft Rotorua Future Development Strategy

Rotorua Lakes Council is currently consulting on the Future Development Strategy 2023.

The Draft Future Development Strategy sets out how, where and when growth will happen over the next 30 years. 

Both District and Regional Councils have responsibilities for spatial planning which are reflected in District Plans and Regional Policy Statement (RPS).  The RPS provides a framework for sustainably managing the region's natural and physical resources, which affects what activities can be carried out and where.   

Rotorua Lakes Council will be leading the Future Development Strategy engagement, but Bay of Plenty Regional Council will be involved with three of our Councillors on the hearings panel alongside Rotorua Lakes Councillors to consider the submissions. 

This is an important conversation for whānau, hapū and iwi across Rotorua. 

If you want to have a say in how Rotorua grows over the next 30 years, head over to Rotorua Lakes Council’s website and make a submission.