Hokonui Rūnanga lays out its environmental expectations, aspirations and positions

Tuesday, 8 February 2022

Hokonui Rūnanga kaiārihi taiao Riki Parata talks to the Gore District Council about its environmental expectations, aspirations and positions.

Gore's Hokonui Rūnanga expects “transformational improvement” of water in its district and says a systems change is required in the way water is considered and managed.

It has also put councils on notice, saying in all environmental management activities, the ability for the rūnanga to make decisions that allow it to uphold its responsibilities is paramount.

The rūnanga has laid out its environmental expectations, aspirations and positions in a document called Te Kawa o Te Taiao, which rūnanga kaiārihi taiao [environmental lead] Riki Parata presented to the Gore District Council at a meeting on Tuesday night.

“I really want to focus on the expectations part of it and what we do expect for our area,’’ Parata said.

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“We had to edit a lot of it because a lot of it was pretty raw from our membership … it’s a good base not only for the council but for the rūnanga, so we’re all on the same page, we all know the aspirations of the rununga, and we all know where we come from in this space.’’

The document sets out the rūnanga’s expectations for water, land, mahinga kai (the ability to access resources for harvesting, the site where that occurs and the health of the site), and ahi kā (visible occupation and use of land).

The expectations include reducing and removing direct and diffusing sources of pollution, improving Three Waters practices that contribute to poor water quality, and the coupling of land-use zoning with land capability to reduce the negative effects on soils from compaction, pollution/contaminants, biodiversity loss, and erosion.

The rūnanga has also put councils on notice in the document, saying while it understands that the Crown and local authorities have statutory responsibilities to lead and facilitate environmental management, it must be undertaken in accordance with the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, and the Treaty-related provisions within relevant legislation.

“All partnerships need to go beyond words in plans and policies to build relationships where tribal and local history is understood, and Hokonui whānau are respected as equals within the community with unique and valued contributions towards social, economic, environmental, and cultural outcomes,’’ the document says.

At the meeting, mayor Tracy Hicks thanked Parata for the proactive stance the rūnanga was taking.

“I think it's very clear and concise, and I think we’re all going to learn a lot from it,’’ he said.

The relationship between the council and the rūnanga has not always been an easy one.

In July 2021, the rūnanga told the council it would not support its resource consent applications to discharge treated wastewater to the Mataura River unless it included some form of discharge to land, because it was culturally unacceptable to discharge it straight into the waterway.

A month earlier, it accused the council of having a ‘’culture of ignorance’’ for not consulting with iwi over its long term plan, and in December 2020, it adopted a neutral position on the council’s plan to build a bridge over the Mataura River. It had earlier been opposed to the development because the council had not consulted with it.

In December, the council and rūnanga signed a Charter of Understanding to work together for the betterment of the community.