Statutory Acknowledgements in Northland

Statutory Acknowledgements in Northland – Te Ture Whakamana ngā Iwi o Taitokerau

Te Ture Whakamana ngā Iwi o Taitokerau - Statutory acknowledgments in Northland is a compendium document that contains information about all statutory acknowledgements contained in Treaty settlement legislation for Northland, and is an attachment to the:

• Regional Policy Statement for Northland;
• Regional Water and Soil Plan for Northland;
• Regional Coastal Plan for Northland;
• Regional Air Quality Plan for Northland; and
• Proposed Regional Plan

Maps

Find maps that show the statutory areas to which the statutory acknowledgments apply

What is a Statutory Acknowledgement?

The Treaty of Waitangi is considered the founding document of New Zealand. It recognises the special relationship between Māori and the Crown.  It is the basis from which Māori and the Crown negotiate terms to address grievances in relation to omissions and acts by the Crown which are contrary to the Treaty principles.  One mechanism used (to address grievances) in settlement legislation that has an impact for local government is through Statutory Acknowledgements.

A statutory acknowledgement is a formal acknowledgement by the Crown recognising the mana of tangata whenua in relation to a specified area.  It recognises the particular cultural, spiritual, historical, and traditional association of an iwi or hapū with the statutory area.

Statutory acknowledgements are only over Crown owned land and may apply to rivers, lakes, wetlands, landscapes estuaries/harbours and other coastal areas. Where a statutory acknowledgement is noted in regards to a river, lake, wetland or coastal area, the acknowledgement only applies to the bed - being Crown owned.

Statements associated with a statutory acknowledgement are set out in Treaty of Waitangi settlement legislation. The text for each statutory acknowledgement includes:

• Identification and description of the statutory area.
• A statement of association detailing the relationship between the relevant iwi or hapū with the statutory area.
• The specific requirements of the statutory acknowledgement.

Statutory acknowledgements enhance the ability of iwi and hapū to participate in Resource Management Act 1991 processes. It includes requirements for council to:

• have regard to effects on statutory acknowledgment areas when determining notification of resource consent applications, and
• provide summaries of resource consent applications to the iwi or hapu.

The following iwi and hapū have statutory acknowledgements in Northland:

• Te Uri o Hau
• Te Roroa
• Ngāti Manuhiri
• NgāiTakoto
• Ngāti Kuri
• Te Aupōuri
• Te Rarawa
• Ngāti Pūkenga
• Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa

More information

More information can be found at www.govt.nz including:

• General information about settlement legislation - search "Office of Treaty Settlements"
• Copies of documents supporting each settlement legislation (for example, deeds of settlement) – search by iwi or hapū

Settlement legislation can be found at www.legislation.govt.nz