JOINT MEDIA STATEMENT
Te Arawa River Iwi Trust
Shaping Rotorua
Destination Rotorua
Waikato Regional Council
Wednesday 22 August 2012
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Iwi and Councils To Sign Upper Waikato River agreements
Te Arawa River Iwi Trust (TARIT) is to enter into separate agreements over the Upper Waikato River, with Rotorua
District Council (RDC) and Waikato Regional Council.
The parties have recently finalised the agreements, which will be signed at a ceremony on 28 August at Kearoa Marae in
Horohoro.
The agreements are legislative requirements of the Ngati Tuwharetoa, Raukawa, and Te Arawa River Iwi Waikato River Act
2010, and are aimed at restoring and protecting the health and wellbeing of the river and its tributaries for present
and future generations.
“The river, and waters that flow from it, have provided sustenance to our marae and whanau for generations but now the
water quality is under threat and we must all work together to make it healthy again,” said Te Arawa River Iwi Trust
chairman Roger Pikia.
Mr Pikia said achieving a healthy river would require a long-term effort.
“It will need the help and support of the entire community, from farmers and recreational users to local authorities. It
means that this agreement will be one of many steps in that important journey.”
Regional council chairman Peter Buckley said: “This agreement with Te Arawa is another significant step in our work with
iwi to better protect and restore the health of the Waikato River.
“I thank Te Arawa river iwi for the very constructive approach they have taken during our joint work on this agreement.
The river is a taonga for all of us to protect.”
Rotorua Mayor Kevin Winters said the council was pleased to be entering into a strategic partnership with Te Arawa River
Iwi Trust.
“The quality of our waterways remains the most important strategic issue to our wider Rotorua community. So we’re
committed to working closely with our iwi partners to do whatever we can together to protect the river for our children
and our grandchildren.”
The agreements require the trust and the councils to work together on a number of matters that affect the water quality
of the upper river and surrounding land. These include monitoring and enforcement, planning issues, applications for
resource consents, and Maori customary activities.
Joint committees had previously been set up to develop the agreements. The TARIT-RDC joint committee was led by Mr
Winters and Mr Pikia and other members of the committee were Eugene Berryman-Kamp and Wally Lee for the trust and
councillors Maureen Waaka and Karen Hunt for RDC. The TARIT-Waikato Regional Council joint committee was led by Mr
Buckley and Mr Pikia and other members of the committee were Rawiri Te Whare, Eugene Berryman-Kamp and Wally Lee for the
trust and councillors Simon Friar, Laurie Burdett and Norm Barker for the regional council.
Background Information
• The three Te Arawa iwi groups (Ngati Tahu-Ngati Whaoa, Ngati Kea Ngati Tuara and Tuhourangi-Ngati Wahiao) represented
by the Trust were given legal recognition of their relationship with the upper Waikato River in 2012 when the Ngati
Tuwharetoa, Raukawa, and Te Arawa River Iwi Waikato River Act was passed. That law was designed to ensure iwi were
involved in the restoration and protection of the river.
• The area of interest begins at the bottom of the Huka Falls, north of Taupo, through to Pohaturoa near Atiamuri, and
also waterways that flow into the river such as the Pokaitu, Whirinaki and Waiotapu.
ENDS