E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatangamaha o Te Moana ā-Toitehuatahi tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. E ngā iwi me te hāpori Māori, mai Ngā Kurī a Whārei ki Tihirau, mai Maketū ki Tauhara huri noa i te rohe o Toi Moana kei te mihi.

A pānui to share what Komiti Māori and Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council are doing around the rohe that is relevant to iwi, hapū and marae.

Mānawa maiea te putanga o Matariki 
Mānawa maiea te ariki o te rangi 
Mānawa maiea te mātahi o te tau hou
We look forward to celebrating Matariki collectively here in Aotearoa this Friday 24 June 2022. We hope you have the opportunity to reflect and celebrate with your whānau.

Mānawatia a Matariki

The Komiti Māori Meeting on Tuesday 28 June 2022 will be held in Council Chambers at Regional House, 1 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga.

Please be aware that if you attend in person, you are required to have a negative RAT result (within 48 hours) before attending the meeting. This includes Councillors, staff, external presenters and members of the public/media.

The meeting will commence at 9.30am and is due to finish at approximately 2.00pm.

The meeting will be recorded and livestreamed. To watch the meeting live, click on the following link. The meeting agenda is now available on the Toi Moana website.

We look forward to tangata whenua presentations will be heard from:

• James Hudson will speak around his experience as the Mātauranga Lead for Environment Aotearoa 2022 and the integration of Mātauranga Māori.
• Ian Ruru and Wolfgang Kanz will co-present on the development of a national Mahinga Kai Toolkit.
• Julie Shepherd and Monique Neenee will present on Aroturuki – Cultural Monitoring Training Guide for Tangata Whenua

We will also receive presentations from the recipients of He Toka Tū Moana Environmental Scholarship. Ngā mihi ki a rātou katoa.

• Akuhata Bailey-Winiata 
• Sonny Vercoe
• Daria Bell
• Amy Nattrass
• Brooklyn Lea
• Rangipurei Manley

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

Registrations now open for Ngā Poutama Matawhenua

Ngā Poutama Matawhenua is a regular programme of online mapping wānanga to help you learn how to map your whenua and tell your stories through GIS mapping. These interactive wānanga are specifically tailored towards those working for iwi, Māori trusts and environmental groups.

Learn how you can use GIS tools and data to map your whenua, create 3D stories and flythroughs, discover and access all of the government GIS data, historical imagery, property data, and perform spatial analysis to support your mahi.

These wānanga are for kaitiaki, friends and whanau working in Māori trusts, settlement entities, Takiwā and marae collectives and environmental and conservation groups. The kaupapa for each wānanga is developed in collaboration with participants. We will never ask you for your data.

The wananga are 1 hour and are delivered in English. Technical support sessions are also offered between wānanga. These wānanga are held every other Tuesday 7:30pm - via Zoom.

Exposure draft of proposed changes for freshwater 

The Ministry for the Environment are consulting and seeking feedback on proposed amendments to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) and the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (NES-F). 

The NPS-FM and NES-F are the main sources of national direction and rules about how to manage wetland ecosystems. Following gazettal of the NPS-FM and NES-F in September 2020, issues were raised about the wetland regulations, which the guidance documents alone could not resolve. In September and October 2021 the Government undertook public consultation on the wetland regulations.  They have now released proposed amendments to both the NPS-FM and NES-F (which are collectively referred to as exposure drafts) and are seeking feedback by 10 July 2022.

Marae Wastewater kaupapa to begin for Kōhī marae

A marae wastewater kaupapa that is aimed at helping marae in the Kōhī (Eastern bay) area is now beginning. The project aims to work with marae representatives to assess and if required, upgrade their wastewater systems. It is important to note that this is not being done with a regulatory focus, rather it is modelled off the successful pilot held in the Tauranga-Western Bay area.

For more information contact Steve Pickles or visit our website. 

Climate Change initiatives to empower Māori solutions

The Government released Aotearoa New Zealand’s Emissions Reduction Plan on 16 May. The plan identifies nearly 400 initiatives intended to deliver the emissions reductions required to meet the first carbon budget of 290MtCO₂e over the next three years, which represents a 4% reduction (11 MtCO₂e) over Aotearoa’s current trajectory. These initiatives are focused around key sectors and cross-cutting issues, which includes a specific section on ‘Empowering Māori’. Key actions in this area include establishing a platform for Māori climate action that will:

• embed partnership and representation – to uphold Te Tiriti principles, processes and mechanisms will be resourced and designed alongside Māori to help tangata whenua to actively participate in the climate response
• support Māori-led strategy and alignment – to elevate te ao Māori within the climate response, Māori will be supported to define, measure and implement a Māori climate strategy and action plan
• activate kaupapa Māori, tangata Māori solutions – to enable community action, kaupapa Māori, tangata Māori actions and solutions for the climate emergency will be funded.

If you would like more detail, the specific section is on page 44 of the plan.

Kia rite mai i te panonitanga, we're changing how we collect rates

This year, for the first time in its 39 year history, Toi Moana will start collecting their own rates. Ratepayers will receive one invoice per year from Bay of Plenty Regional Council which this year is being sent out in late August –September 2022, with payment due by 20 October. If you are a ratepayer we recommend you find out more about what is changing and look at the different ways to pay which might vary from your city or district council. 

We are also excited to announce the appointment of Charlie Roddick (Te Whānau ā Apanui me Ngāti Porou) as Kaitohutohu Matua, Whenua Māori Rates Specialist. He will begin engagement with tangata whenua regarding whenua Māori rates. If you have any pātai, please email Charlie.

Consultation to begin in July for the Regional Public Transport plan