Ngā kaupapa o Toi Moana e panga ana ki te iwi Māori
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November | Noema 2024
Komiti Māori Members 2024
(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.
E aku nui, e aku rahi tēnā koutou katoa
Ki ngā mate kua riro ki te pō, haere, haere, haere atu rā,
Hoki ano ki a tātou te hunga ora
Tēnā tātou katoa
Our last hui for 2024 will take place in Tauranga on Tuesday 3 December. As the year draws to a close, we wish you and your whānau a safe and happy holidays.
As we look to the year ahead, Komiti Māori is committed to strengthening its relationships with tangata whenua. The first Komiti Māori will be held in February 2025 and more information will come out closer to the time. If there are marae that would like to host in 2025, please make contact with General Manager Strategic Engagement Kataraina O'Brien.
Have a safe and enjoyable holiday
Kia hari, kia haumaru ngā hararei kia koutou katoa
Nā te Heamana
Councillor McDonald
Nau mai ki Komiti Māori
Komiti Māori will be held at 9.30am on Tuesday 3 December 2024. This meeting will be held in Council Chambers, Regional House, 1 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga.
The meeting will be recorded and livestreamed. To watch the meeting live, click on the following link.
The meeting agenda will be available from Tuesday 26 November.
Tangata whenua presentations:
- Te Pio Kawe – SmartGrowth Collective Tangata Whenua Forum (CTWF) – Delivery Approach of Māori Housing across the Western Bay of Plenty Sub-region
- Vaughan Payne - Local Water Done Well Update
If you have any further questions, please contact Kataraina O'Brien.
Government fund to support marae drinking water infrastructure
The Government has launched a fund to upgrade drinking water infrastructure for marae nationwide, as part of the Local Water Done Well initiative. This decision follows Cabinet's approval in March 2024 to repurpose unspent funds from the previous water reform programme for iwi Māori, redirecting them to support essential water infrastructure upgrades.
Fund purpose: The marae drinking water infrastructure fund is designed to support improvements at marae with the greatest need, including those without access to town water, those facing health risks from their current water sources, or those impacted by severe weather events. The fund is being administered by Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs working closely with Crown Infrastructure Partners and Te Puni Kōkiri.
Who can apply? Marae that meet the following criteria are encouraged to apply:
- No access to reticulated or town water supply.
- Health and water source risks (e.g. needing to boil water, using open water sources like dams or rivers).
- Located in communities with greater needs.
- Regularly used by the community and whānau and possibly serving as Civil Defence Centres.
Funding available: A total of $12 million is available, with the expectation of supporting upgrades to drinking water systems at approximately 40 marae across Aotearoa. Priority will be given to marae with the greatest need.
How to apply: Marae coordinators and trustees can now register their interest for the fund. Registrations are open from 4 November to 6 December 2024. To register your interest, visit Crown Infrastructure's marae drinking water page.
Next steps: After the application period closes, all registrations will be assessed, with final decisions expected by February 2025. Crown Infrastructure Partners will oversee the upgrades, working with local providers and Māori businesses to carry out the work.
For more details, visit the Crown Infrastructure Partners website or contact Keith Ikin, Executive Director Iwi Māori, at waterservices@dia.govt.nz.
Toi Moana and Whakapoungakau Lands Trust: looking after the land, the lake and the people.
“When you're sharing your pepeha you start with Whakapoungakau. Ko Whakapoungakau toku pae maunga, and that really symbolises the significance of this land for the iwi” - Hariata Ngatai, WLT Chair.
Whakapoungakau Lands Trust (WLT) has been working with us on a number of projects to restore their whenua and leave it in a better state for the next generation. The collaboration helps to achieve the Lake Rotorua nutrient targets set for the property and includes several gorse removal agreements, nitrogen reduction incentives agreements and most recently the signing of a comprehensive Environmental Programme (EP).
Other components of the EP involve retiring and fencing off pastoral land to plant native trees. Native plants will be planted in 6.6 ha of land to help stabilise steep slopes and erodible gullies. Ongoing pest plant and animal control will ensure the native plants will thrive and improve biodiversity values.
Kia marutau ki te wai – Funding to help reduce harm on our waters
We are excited to announce the continuation of Safer Boating Education this summer. The initiative, with funding from Maritime NZ, is focused on harm prevention and providing safer boating education.
Working closely with Coastguard Boating Education and Drowning Prevention Aotearoa, our programs are designed to reach and educate particularly our Māori and Pasifika communities on safer boating practices.
We are running three Coastguard Boating Education Day skipper courses in Tauranga, Rotorua and Ōpōtiki over the next three months, as well as an in-water survival and water competency courses.
Be a lake hero this summer – check, clean, dry, certify
The discovery of exotic freshwater clams (Corbicula) in the Waikato River last year reinforces the need for boaties to ensure that their vessel and trailer are free from freshwater pests before heading to any of the region's lakes or rivers. If you plan to enjoy the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes this summer, you must certify that your vessel (boat, jet ski) and trailer are free from freshwater pest fish and pest weeds.
To make things faster and easier, boat ramp users can self-certify online either by using the QR code found at each boat ramp or by completing the online form on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council website.
The paper forms at the boat ramps will still be available, and skippers should complete the form, sign it and display it on the dashboard of the car towing the trailer.
Out of sight but not out of mind: Protecting our coastal paradise from exotic caulerpa
Over the past three years, the invasive pest exotic caulerpa has been found at nine different coastal locations around the Hauraki Gulf, Coromandel and Northland. It’s a fast-spreading pest seaweed and in the right conditions it can quickly form large, dense mats that smother native species, kaimoana and damage our unique marine ecosystems.
Exotic caulerpa hasn't been found in the Bay of Plenty, and we are asking boaties to do their bit to protect our coastal paradise. That means if you’re heading out of the region this summer, ensure you return with a clean hull and ensure you don’t bring back this nasty hitchhiker to our rohe. Before you move locations ensure you check your anchor, anchor chain and gear for any tangled seaweed. If you do find any type of seaweed remove it, bag it and bin it back onshore. Awareness and education are our best forms of defence from keeping this pest out of our region.
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