Iwi leaders meet to discuss outdoor access legislation
ACTIVITY: Supporting the promotion of Māori culture and heritage through public access
In August 2021 Herenga ā Nuku got a rare opportunity to talk with and hear from attendees at the Iwi Chairs’ Forum. Herenga ā Nuku has been working with cultural advisors, Tutira Mai, on some of the recommendations in the Report on the Finding from the Review of the Walking Access Act 2008. Tutira Mai helped secure an invitation to visit the forum.
The independent review made a series of recommendations about changes to the law that would affect Māori. Herenga ā Nuku was keen to talk about those recommendations with iwi leaders.
As a result of the presentation to the Iwi Chairs’ Forum, the forum set up a subcommittee to look at the recommendations in the review.
Herenga ā Nuku also received advice from the forum subcommittee on changing its name to better reflect the work it does.
Commission chief executive Ric Cullinane says it was humbling and a privilege to be offered the opportunity to engage with the iwi leaders that the forum represents.
“We know the iwi are dealing with wide-ranging important issues across all spheres of NZ life,” says Cullinane. “For a small crown agency like us, it is a privilege to have an opportunity to meet face-to-face. We know our work involves access to whenua — and that issue is dear to iwi.
“When our legislation is amended to reflect the review recommendations, we want to make sure it happens in a way that best meets our Te Tiriti obligations and the aspirations iwi have for their whenua.”
In the last year, Herenga ā Nuku also engaged a Māori advisor/strategic relationships manager. We reviewed and updated our Māori Partnership Strategy with a focus on defining the role of mana whenua in the work we do.
We engaged and partnered with iwi and Māori across the country by implementing regional Māori strategies. Each regional field advisor has been identifying mana whenua organisations in their region. We have been investing on our staff capability in te reo and tikanga.