E ngā manukura, e ngā tātarariki o te rohe whānau, tēnā koutou katoa,
Mai i Ngā Kurī-ā-Whārei ki Tihirau, Mai i Maketū ki Taupō-nui-ā-Tia
Ko te rohe kaunihera tēnei o Toi Moana,
Toi tū te whenua, Toi tū te moana, Toi tū te taiao, Toi tū te tangata
Whano, Whano! Haramai te toki!
Haumi ē hui ē! Tāiki ē!

2024 marks a year of review for Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council. In early March we will be consulting on our Mahere Tūroa (Long Term Plan) which sets Council's strategic direction for the next 10 years. Additionally, there will also be relevant activities for Māori such as a review of our Rates Remissions policy, and the Regional Land Transport plan.

Given the direction indicated by the Government coalition, Komiti Māori would like to reinforce our commitment towards nurturing and establishing relationships with tangata whenua and respective hapū. These relationships are pivotal in creating meaningful and prosperous outcomes for future generations, so that we can continue the work of those who have gone before us.

We look forward to seeing you at Komiti Māori this year.

Ngā manaakitanga,
Nā Councillor McDonald (Heamana)

Nau mai ki Komiti Māori

Komiti Māori will be held on Tuesday 27 February 2024. This meeting will be held in Council Chambers, Regional House, 1 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga.

The hui will commence at 9.30am and will be recorded and livestreamed on the Toi Moana YouTube Channel.

• Ministry for the Environment (MFE), Fast Track Consenting Bill. 

The agenda will be available to view from Tuesday 20 February.

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

Tēnā koutou o Tuapiro Marae!

On behalf of Komiti Māori & the wider Toi Moana we would like to mihi to Ngāti Te Wai and Ngāti Ranginui, ngā mana whenua o Tuapiro Mārae for hosting last December's Komiti Māori.

Te Mahere Turoa - Long Term Plan 2024 - 2034

Your Bay, Your Say! We need your input on our Long Term Plan 2024-2034 

Have your say in shaping the future of our community. Our Long Term Plan sets our strategic direction for the next ten years, including the work we will deliver and how that work will be funded. 

We are inviting iwi authorities, co-governance entities and other Māori leaders to meet directly with our Māori Councillors to discuss the Long Term Plan 2024 - 2034.

The one-on-one hui will provide an opportunity to discuss key kaupapa, share information and address capacity and capability challenges.

If you would like to register your interest for this hui, please complete this survey

Rates Remission and Postponement Policy Review

In 2022, Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council started collecting rates directly rather than through other TLA's (local city and district councils) this meant that remissions of Bay of Plenty Regional Council rates were based on the policies of the city or district council for each area.

In 2023, we reached out for community feedback about the topic in the form of: face to face hui, online survey, and with consideration of whenua Māori specialists.

Our Rates Remission and Postponement Policy (2022) has now been reviewed for the rating of whenua Māori and are seeking the views from the whenua owners, occupiers, iwi and hapū. The rationale of the review is to be consistent in how rates are charged across the rohe and to have policies and remissions (reductions) that better support the needs of our communities.

Soon we will be seeking feedback on our proposal to replace our existing Rates Remission and Postponement Policy with two new policies:

• Rates Remission and Postponement Policy (All Land)
• Rates Remission and Postponement Policy for Māori Freehold Land

Drafts of the two new policies will be available to read from 8th March 2024 on our Participate page 

Please visit the page and click +Follow to receive notification of the policy release and when submissions open.

Freshwater Programme Update

The Essential Freshwater Policy Programme (EFPP) is Toi Moana - Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s work programme to implement the requirements of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (NPSFM) and review the Regional Natural Resources Plan (RNRP).

Under the freshwater planning process, notification of a plan change to give effect to the NPSFM 2020 was required by 31 December 2024. Prior to Christmas, this date was amended by legislation to 31 December 2027.

Considerable momentum has built up within the Freshwater programme and the choice of when to notify plan changes prior to December 2027 still sits with Regional Councils. Therefore, recommendations for a revised timeframe have been developed and will be presented to the Strategy and Policy Council meeting on 20 February 2024 for their decision. A verbal update can be provided at the next Komiti Māori hui.

We anticipate that the review and replacement of the NPSFM ‘to better reflect the interests of all water users’ will be concerning for tangata whenua and what changes (if any) are to be made to the hierarchy of obligations and Māori freshwater values. 

However, for the Bay of Plenty there are still known and significant environmental issues that need to be addressed, which the current RNRP does not address. Therefore, irrespective of national bottom lines for rivers or changes to NPSFM and timelines, these issues still need to be addressed.

In the meantime, the Kaupapa Māori Freshwater team will continue to refine policy options for the RPS and RNRP and deliver targeted tangata whenua engagement which was endorsed by Komiti Māori in October 2023. This includes the Kaupapa Māori Technical Reference Group who will consider proposed policy options and offer independent technical planning advice based on their Te Ao Māori and RMA expertise.

Toi Moana continues to maintain an open invite for iwi, hapū and tangata whenua to engage with us when they are ready to do so. 

School Sustainability and Resilience Fund opens February 19

Teach your tamariki the importance of protecting the whenua and preparing for the impacts of climate change and natural hazards. The School Sustainability and Resilience Fund is open and is seeking applications from education providers across our rohe.

Up to $5000 is available to help:

• Raise awareness of and understanding of natural hazards and/or climate change risks
• Improve long-term resilience and sustainability.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Projects could include, tsunami evacuation signs, bike racks, edible gardens, composting set-up, climate change education. Applicants can apply for $1,000 - $5,000 in funding (excl. GST).

Over the last two years we had over 80 applications and have funded $100,000 towards a range of projects across the region.

Representation Review 2024

The Regional Council is reviewing how it can best represent Bay of Plenty communities in the make-up of its council. We need your feedback to help shape what our constituencies will look like

Every six years councils must review how communities are represented in the make-up of their council. A representation review looks at the structures in place, including:

• the number of constituencies (electoral areas) and their boundaries
• the number of elected members (councillors) representing each constituency
• the names of our General and Māori constituencies.

The last representation review for Bay of Plenty Regional Council was completed in 2018 and resulted in Council having 14 Councillors representing 4 general constituencies (Western Bay of Plenty, Tauranga, Rotorua and Eastern Bay of Plenty) and 3 Māori constituencies (Mauao, Ōkurei and Kōhi).

Pre-engagement is open now so have your say to shape how our communities are represented in regional council.

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.