Response to Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use ‘inadequate’ — iwi

Willie Te Aho

The Government yesterday announced the first steps in responding to recommendations from the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use here, leaving one local iwi leader to claim none of their key recommendations had been listened to.

“I cannot support the current response. It is inadequate,” said Willie Te Aho, chief executive of Te Aitanga a Māhaki.

In its report Outrage to Optimism, the  inquiry panel made recommendations related to Gisborne District Council’s Resource Management Act (RMA) roles, including the need for a review of the regional plan, review of GDC’s compliance, monitoring and enforcement approaches, and the appointment of a commissioner to exercise GDC’s RMA functions, powers and duties.

A joint media statement from Environment Minister David Parker and Forestry Minister Peeni Henare said  the Government would progress improvements around forestry management, responding to the inquiry’s recommendations related to harvesting practices.

“Responsibility for more active controls on forestry harvesting in the region rests with the Gisborne District Council, through specific measures in its regional plan that it is now updating.

“This is why we are helping the council by providing a statutory resource management adviser, so it can more quickly develop new resource management measures that are fit for purpose. This is not a reflection on the council — rather, it recognises the scale of the task that it faces.”

The statement said that alongside the adviser, the Government would appoint a facilitator to build partnerships with the forestry industry, landowners and Māori interests, to support an integrated approach to the recovery.

“Further, the Government is updating forestry management standards at the national level. This will include national guidance on forestry slash risk management and addressing risks of slope failure and slash mobilisation. This will assist the council in updating its plan.”

Cabinet papers released to The Gisborne Herald show why the Government is appointing an adviser rather than a full statutory manager.

“This approach balances supporting GDC while also taking action to ensure local RMA functions are responding to the need to better manage the risks from erosion, sedimentation and woody debris and move land use in the region to more sustainable practices,” the papers say.

In May Toitu Tairāwhiti, a group made up of the chief executives of four iwi — Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri and Te Aitanga a Māhaki — issued a letter to the Cabinet, urging “the time-critical implementation of Outrage to Optimism: Report of the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use In Tairāwhiti and Wairoa”.

That letter, signed by chief executives from three of the iwi, Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri and Te Aitanga a Māhaki, stated, “We do not have confidence in the Gisborne District Council.”

Among the reasons listed for that loss of confidence was the council’s “emotive rejection of the Ministerial Inquiry Report”.

The letter urged the government to prioritise the appointments of a  Woody Debris Taskforce, a statutory manager for the RMA functions of the GDC and a Crown facilitator to support the readiness of Tairāwhiti to be considered for Tranche 1 status.

It also urged the establishment of shared funding between the forestry sector, GDC, and the Government and a statutory manager for delivery and oversight of all central government recovery funding to the district and governance by the “putative” regional planning committee.

Responding to yesterday’s announcements,  Te Aitanga a Māhaki chief executive Willie Te Aho said the Government’s response did not go far enough.

“Although we have been consulted by government officials, none of our key recommendations, which stem directly from recommendations from the Outrage to Optimism report, have been addressed.

“We met with Minister Henare via Zoom on July 18 and indicated we wanted to get our relationship set like we have in housing where we are the designer of housing in our region and the implementer.

“Minister Henare is familiar with this as he supported this as the associate Minister of Housing.

“We understand that he is working with other relevant Ministers. If we got the relationship right then we would be supportive of the two specialist adviser roles as we would have a role in designing and accountability.”

The Cabinet papers on yesterday’s decision said it was likely the adviser would be in place by mid to late August.

“The RMA adviser will be proactive and work with GDC to identify challenges, options, and next steps (including for central government support) for GDC in carrying out its resource management functions.

“They will build evidence, assess a range of matters, and make recommendations to the Minister for the Environment.”

These would include recommendations on the capacity and resources of GDC, and support needed, to progress and implement the Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan review; GDC’s approach to compliance monitoring and enforcement functions, and resources needed, and whether this could be improved; GDC’s approach to consenting and reviewing forestry activities with a focus on the risks of clear-felling and risk mitigations; and recommended options for further work to ensure a fit-for-purpose planning regime is in place.

The appointment would be for an initial nine-month period which should cover key decision points about the plan review and review of compliance, monitoring, and enforcement practices.

A second adviser (rather than a statutory manager) to “facilitate non-statutory interventions that support the Government’s response in Tairāwhiti” would be critical to identifying and progressing next steps on management of woody debris, the Cabinet papers stated.

“They will also ensure regions, and communities therein, are well linked into other existing work programmes so that these are leveraged where possible. The facilitator will also be uniquely placed to work with relevant regional agencies to provide advice on whether regions need additional wrap-around support.This appointment too would be for an initial nine-month period, and the appointee also in place by mid to late August.”