Te Kawerau ā Maki and Auckland Council’s proposed deed of acknowledgement, which is set to officially name Te Kawerau ā Maki as mana whenua of the Waitākere Ranges, is under threat as ‘fearmongering’ and the spread of ‘misinformation’ plagues its potential outcome.
NZ First are threatening to put a hold on the process, saying rather than just being a ‘deed of acknowledgement’ it is the implementation of a co-governance board overseeing the ranges.
Te Kawerau ā Maki CEO, Edward Ashby, says he feels attacked.
“It’s fearmongering, it’s not only uninformed, I’d say it’s actually misinformation, disinformation.
“This is a non-statutory table for the parties, the parties that were set up in the legislation and in our treaty settlement, to get around the table and talk together. That’s it.”
However, NZ First Minister, Shane Jones, says Te Kawerau ā Maki is one of many mana whenua over the ranges.
“Pēnā e hiahia ana te hunga Maki nei ki te whakapūmau ētahi o ō rātou panga ki roto tonu i te wao, ki waenga tonu i tērā ngāherehere, horekau he raruraru, engari e kore māua e whakaae ki riro i a rātou te 50 paihēneti.”
“Kāore mātou e pai kia riro mā tētahi hapū nohinohi noa iho nei e whakahau, me aha.”
Deed of Acknowledgement
The Deed of Acknowledgement was created under the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008, which states:
A deed of acknowledgement will acknowledge the particular historical, traditional, cultural, or spiritual relationship of tangata whenua of the heritage area, namely Ngāti Whātua and Te Kawerau ā Maki, with any land in the heritage area.
Parties to a deed of acknowledgement will be the Crown or the Council and tangata whenua of the heritage area.
A deed of acknowledgement will be entered into after consultation with, and with the agreement of, the parties to that deed.*
According to Auckland Council, the deed focuses on four key elements:
- Developing a strategic plan for the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area.
- Creating a work programme to deliver the goals of that plan.
- Monitoring progress and outcomes, and making recommendations;
- Establishing a joint committee under the Local Government Act 2002, with equal representation from tangata whenua, Auckland Council, and the Crown.
Ashby says there will be no transferring of power, despite claims to the contrary.
“So the ‘Deed of Acknowledgement’ it’s a legal agreement between ourselves, the crown and council, it’s set out in the legislation that there will be one.
What it will basically do is again two things: it’s an acknowledgement of our association with the area, our history, our values. And the second are opportunities for us to contribute to the management of the area.
What it won’t mean is that suddenly people wake up and suddenly there is Kawerau police knocking on the door or telling what you can and can’t do."
