Formal Partnerships and Arrangements

Iwi and hapū throughout the region have expressed a desire to work in various forms of partnership with Horizons. Some of these aspirations are embedded through Treaty settlements – others are acknowledged through memoranda of partnership and other formal arrangements.

On this page

Co-governance and joint management arrangements

Some Treaty settlements establish co-governance or joint management frameworks for significant natural resources. Horizons participates in a number of these, including those provided for under Te Awa Tupua and Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika.

Te Awa Tupua

The Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017 recognised Te Awa Tupua as a legal person – the first river in the world to receive that status. The Act acknowledges the deep and enduring relationship that Whanganui iwi have with their awa.

Under the Act, Te Kōpuka was established in 2019 as a strategy group for Te Awa Tupua. Te Kōpuka is made up of individuals and organisations with interests in the Whanganui River and led by iwi representatives. The group's purpose is to work collaboratively to advance the environmental, social, cultural, and economic health and wellbeing of the river and its catchment. Horizons participates in Te Kōpuka as one of the organisations with responsibilities for the awa.

Learn more about Te Awa Tupua and Te Kōpuka on the Ngā Tangata Tiaki website.

Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika

The Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Act 2019 established Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika – a framework for the Whangaehu River and catchment that gives effect to Ngāti Rangi's values and aspirations. When making decisions about any resource consent application involving the Whangaehu River or its catchment, Horizons must recognise and provide for the values of Te Waiū-o-te-Ika.

Horizons is also involved in Ngā Wai Tōtā, the governance group for Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika, along with representatives from Ngāti Rangi, Ngā Wairiki, Uenuku, Ngā Hapū o te Iwi o Whanganui, Whanganui District Council, Ruapehu District Council and Rangitīkei District Council. Ngā Wai Tōtā's purpose is to promote the vision and principles of Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika, advance the health, wellbeing and integrated management of the catchment, and be a voice for the relationship of ngā iwi o te awa with the catchment.

Learn more about Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika and Ngā Wai Tōtā at www.tewaiuoteika.nz

Other formal arrangements

Other arrangements include memorandums of partnership/understanding and kawenata (formal relationship agreements), which set out how Horizons and an iwi or hapū will work together. These formal arrangements aren't legally binding, but they're a commitment we make to each other to support a more effective and enduring relationship.

Each formal arrangement is developed through genuine kōrero. The resulting document reflects the iwi or hapū's aspirations, identifies shared goals, and creates a structure for working together at both a governance level and an operational one. They're not one-size-fits-all documents though, with each one specifically relevant to the rohe, the relationship, and the issues that matter most to the iwi and/or hapū involved.

Horizons has signed formal agreements with the following iwi and hapū:

Muaūpoko
Ngāti Hāua
Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua
Te Nehenehenui (Ngāti Maniapoto)
Ngāti Rangi
Ngāti Whakatere
Rangitāne o Manawatū
Te Kāuru Eastern Manawatū Hapū Collective
Te Korowai o Wainuiārua

Email us at iwi.mailbox@horizons.govt.nz for more information on our formal partnerships and arrangements.

Working together with tangata whenua

Our region is home to more than 30 iwi and 100 hapū. Strong relationships between Horizons Regional Council and tangata whenua aren't just good practice, they're essential to good environmental decision-making in a region where the connections between people and place run deep.

Māori Advisory Team

Our Te Pae Kōuka advisors are the primary point of contact between Horizons and the tangata whenua of our region. They support partnership structures, develop and maintain formal relationship agreements, build organisational cultural competency, and enable meaningful tangata whenua engagement in policy development, resource management and environmental projects.

Iwi and Hapū Environmental Management Plans

An Environmental Management Plan is a document prepared by an iwi or hapū authority that sets out how that group wants their taonga, rohe and cultural values considered in resource management and planning decisions.

Treaty Settlements

When an iwi settles with the Crown, the resulting legislation includes provisions that create direct obligations for regional councils. Our region is one of the last in the country where the settlement process is still actively underway. For us, that means both ongoing obligations and new opportunities to work alongside iwi and hapū as they realise their aspirations.

Statutory Acknowledgements

Statutory acknowledgements are statements of cultural, spiritual, historic, and traditional associations of an iwi with a site or an area acknowledged by the Crown in Treaty of Waitangi settlement processes. They have legal weight from inclusion in Treaty claims settlement acts.

Iwi and Hapū Contacts

Horizons maintains an iwi and hapū contacts database for the region. This database ensures that our staff are communicating and facilitating connections with the right people.