MEDIA STATEMENT

Te Ururoa Flavell

MP for Waiariki

Thursday 5 July, 2012

Māori Party comfortable with direction of RMA independent report

Te Ururoa Flavell, MP for Waiariki, says the Māori Party is ‘comfortable’ with the independent report released today by Environment Minister Amy Adams.

“One of the objectives of the government’s Phase Two work programme is to "provide for efficient and improved participation of Māori in resource management processes”.

“Natural resource allocation is one of those matters that are of high importance to Māori. We know that Māori want to see their role in resource management strengthened”.

“The Māori Party is a strong advocate for a National Policy Statement on Māori participation including iwi/Māori management committees and treaty representation. Our co-leader, Pita Sharples, has called for such a statement to c--oo-ordinate all of the various mechanisms to strengthen Māori participation and iwi management in the RMA reforms”.

“Today’s recommendations will assist that process, through continuing, confirming and combining three key areas of national priority for tangata whenua:

· The relationship of Māori and their culture and traditions with their ancestral lands, water, sites, waahi tapu, taonga species and other taonga;

· The exercise by Māori of kaitiakitanga; and

· Protected customary rights”.

“The addition of the term, taonga species, is helpful in recognising the significance of the issues canvassed in Ko Aotearoa Tēnei; (WAI 262). Of course it begs the question, however, as to the progress that Government is making in responding to that report as a report of extreme interest for Maori”.

“We look forward to further discussion with whānau, hapū and iwi about the proposed changes to section 6 and 7 of the Resource Management Act as part of the next steps moving forward”.

ENDS

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