Te Pae Kōuka 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.

Page Header
On this page

Our mahi

  • Supporting Horizons to meet its legislative obligations to tangata whenua in our region, including enabling iwi and hapū to participate in Council decision-making processes.

  • Connecting iwi and hapū with relevant project teams across the organisation.

  • Supporting post-settlement co-governance arrangements, such as those under Te Awa Tupua and Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika.

  • Building and maintaining memorandums of partnership and other formal agreements.

  • Supporting the development and lodgement of Iwi and Hapū Environmental Management Plans.

  • Supporting Council to incorporate mātauranga Māori into its environmental work.

Building internal capability

Strong and beneficial relationships with iwi and hapū need more than just a single dedicated team. Horizons operates across a complex rohe that includes multiple iwi and hapū with distinct histories, interests and mandates. As a result, engagement with tangata whenua can't be treated as a single relationship – it's a portfolio of distinct relationships, each with their own processes and expectations.

Managing this well requires both dedicated resourcing and a Horizons-wide understanding of the relationships involved. That's why Horizons is investing in the cultural competency of our staff across the organisation. All councillors and the executive leadership team also participate in a cultural competency programme, which includes self-assessment and ongoing professional development.

Get in touch

To reach our Iwi and Hapū Relationships team, email iwi.mailbox@horizons.govt.nz