Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga - Protecting the environment for future generations through kaitiakitanga
The mission of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga is –
Ngāti Mutunga have the same fundamental goal as other environmental management agencies – which is to provide for sustainable management of the environment for the social, cultural, economic, and environmental well-being of our iwi, the wider community, now and into the future. However, we may have different perspectives on what this means and how it should be achieved.
Giving effect to this relationship and shared goals is best achieved through partnership. This may take a variety of forms, but should be underpinned by the following concepts, set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between Ngāti Mutunga and the New Plymouth District Council –
Ngāti Mutunga expect agencies to –
Thanks to the Iwi Environmental Management Plan committee:
for working so hard to pull this plan together.
Thanks to Dyanna Jolly and Craig Pauling for reviewing the plan, and Miriama Evans and Dion Tuuta for editing it.
Thanks to Toka Walden, Phil Mohi, and Jenny Stevens from Department of Conservation (DoC) for providing information on the role and function of DoC, conservation values in our rohe and descriptions of DoC administrated land in the rohe (which have been included in Appendix 4).
Thank you to Aroha Chamberlain, Rowan Williams, Mitchell Dyer, Erina Parsons and Lauren O'Byrne from New Plymouth District Council (NPDC), Fred McLay, Colin McLellan and Gray Severinson from Taranaki Regional Council (TRC), Samuel Tamarapa from the Ministry of Fisheries and Amos Kamo from NZ Historic Places Trust for providing information on the role and function of their organisations IMP.
Thanks to the Department of Conservation, the New Plymouth District Council, the New Zealand Historic Places trust and the Taranaki Regional Council for reviewing the factual information contained in the plan.
Thank you to George and John Bertrand and Stephen McClutchie for sharing their ideas about issues and policies to include in this plan, and to Graham Duckett for sharing his knowledge of the history of our rohe.
Thanks also to the Taranaki Regional Council for printing draft copies of the plan for distribution to iwi members.
Above all thank you to Raewyn Solomon, Chris Rosenbrock and Te Ao Marama for agreeing to let us use Te Poha o Tohu Raumati, Kai Tahu ki Otakou Natural Resource Management Plan and Te Tangi a Tauira as reference material. The Ngāi Tahu plans provided us with thinking and talking points, and were an excellent model for this plan.
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Prior to the arrival of tauiwi in Aotearoa, the Ngāti Mutunga iwi was an autonomous, independent and selfgoverning confederation of hapū, who exercised Tino Rangātiratanga over its traditional rohe.
Considerable migration occurred in the nineteenth century in which Ngāti Mutunga joined neighbouring or related groups to travel back and forth from Taranaki. This was not a single exodus, but several heke (migrations) over time mainly to the Wellington district and Wharekauri (Chatham Islands).
While the heke took place, small settlements of people throughout the rohe maintained ahi ka and were present on the return of the majority of the tribe in 1848 and 1868.
The traditional hapū no longer form distinct communities within the iwi. In more recent times, Ngāti Mutunga has interacted as a single tribal grouping which is today known as Ngāti Mutunga. The iwi today has around 1,700 members aged 18 and over, and several thousand under that age. Most are now resident outside of Taranaki.
The traditional rohe of Ngāti Mutunga is indelibly etched into both the physical and historical landscapes. The Tītoki ridge rising from the marine shelf in the northwest signals interface with Ngāti Tama.
From here, the Tītoki stream outlines the extremities of tupuna mana as far north as the Mangahia Stream from which an easterly direction is struck to Huanui, then northwest to Waitara-iti. The rohe then finds a natural eastern definition in the Waitara River as the river flows southward to the Poutiatoa precinct.
From here the border extends further south and then northwest along the Waitara River to a point where the river connects with the Makara Stream. The confines of mamawhenua are then traced in a northerly direction skirting slightly west of the Poukekewa, Poutotara and Pukemai streams.
The Mangahewa Stream provides an outline for the duration of the course to the coast. The old settlement of Te Rau o te Huia was bounded by the Waiau River and its remains mark the area of Ngāti Mutunga's southern boundary.
The area of the Ngāti Mutunga rohe described above was approximately 63,200 hectares (156,000 acres) according to a digital map calculation in 2003.
The primary audience for this plan is iwi members. The Iwi Environmental Management Plan (IEMP) will codify our Ngāti Mutunga values and support and educate those stepping up to work on environmental issues. The IEMP will also protect those who are providing advice on Ngāti Mutunga's position to councils by providing them with a mandated set of policies on which to base their advice.
External agencies, particularly the Taranaki Regional Council, New Plymouth District Council and the Department of Conservation are the secondary audience for the plan. The IEMP should influence environmental management in our rohe and help agencies to identify ways to work more closely and effectively with Ngāti Mutunga. The IEMP has a legal effect under the Resource Management Act (RMA), as Councils must take into account iwi management plans when preparing plans under the RMA.
The community at large is the third target group for the IEMP. The IEMP will provide the community with information on our relationship with the whenua and provide context for our values and positions. We also hope that the IEMP will provide guidance to people wanting to carry out activities in our rohe and help them to design projects which are in line with our values and objectives.
This plan is split into three parts.
introduces Ngāti Mutunga, this plan and its kaupapa and provides guidance on how to use the plan.
sets out ngā take (issues) and ngā kaupapa (policies) for resource management in the Ngāti Mutunga rohe.
sets out how this plan should be used and implemented.
provides extra information which supports ngā take and kaupapa set out in this plan.
For the purposes of this plan, ngā take are problems or issues which have an adverse impact on Ngāti Mutunga values. We expect those involved in resource management to include the take we have identified when identifying or prioritising issues to be managed or problems to be solved. Ngā take may exist now or be potential problems. Existing problems should be resolved in order to avoid damaging our values, and potential problems should be avoided.
For the purpose of this plan, ngā kaupapa (policies) are directions, actions or guidelines which should be followed in order to resolve issues in a way which is consistent with our values. We expect those involved in resource management to follow these policies in order to resolve the take identified in the plan.
Ngāti Mutunga wants central and local government agencies involved in environmental management to use this plan to inform their day-to-day business. A guide to agencies who may wish to use the plan and their relevant functions are included in Appendices 1 and 9.
Ngāti Mutunga encourage agencies to use the plan to –
This list is not exhaustive. Agencies are encouraged to use the information in the plan in whatever way helps them to provide for Ngāti Mutunga interests in environmental management and uphold our objectives.
In order to make the best use of the plan, we recommend that-
Writing the plan is only one step in improving our engagement in environmental management. Ngāti Mutunga will also need to work hard to maintain the momentum we have gained and relationships developed through the plan writing process.
In order to implement this plan and achieve our objectives, Ngāti Mutunga will –
An activity or action that must not occur
An action or activity that must be carried out by another organisation
The action or activity will be endorsed by Ngāti Mutunga. We will work in collaboration with other agencies to promote Ngāti Mutunga values associated with this action or activity
An action or activity, to be carried out by other agencies, which is supported by Ngāti Mutunga
An action or activity which is generally not supported by Ngāti Mutunga
An action or activity which we will work independently or in collaboration with other agencies to carry out
An action, activity, policy or rule which is already in place and is encouraged by Ngāti Mutunga. We encourage implementation, and in some cases, intensification of these actions, activities, policies and rules by other agencies
Ngāti Mutunga notes that the RMA, and policies and plans developed under the RMA, require that people "avoid, remedy or mitigate" where appropriate adverse impacts of their activities on the environment.
We, as Ngāti Mutunga think that it is much better to avoid an adverse effect than reduce its impact or fix up the problem later. We strongly encourage Councils and other bodies operating under the RMA to require that people avoid adverse effects on the environment and any sites of cultural significance to Ngāti Mutunga. We suggest that people should only be able to remedy or mitigate adverse effects if there is no way to avoid them.
Ngāti Mutunga aim to achieve the following outcomes through the implementation of this plan:
It can be hard to see and understand the effects that some activities have on the air and atmosphere, but we should not let "out of sight" mean "out of mind". It is our role as kaitiaki to understand what is happening in our rohe so that we can ensure that every aspect of our environment is well managed.
Ngāti Mutunga recognises that everything has a mauri, or life force, and all elements of our environment are interconnected. In order for our people to be healthy and happy, everything around them needs to be healthy too. Thus the quality of the air we breathe and the effects of increasing levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere directly affect our wellbeing.
To seek better understanding of issues relating to the air and atmosphere so that we can perform our kaitiaki role and engage in the development of solutions to problems caused by climate change.
Air quality in our rohe is generally good. While vehicle emissions, aerial spraying, sawmill operation, odours industries and activities associated with farming have adverse effects on air quality, these activities are limited in our area. There are no major industries discharging contaminants to the air in our rohe, although we note that pollutants discharged elsewhere may be blown into our area.
We are lucky that the winds in our rohe blow most pollutants away, so we do not suffer from smog. However, the wind must blow these pollutants somewhere. It is up to us to manage discharges to air in our rohe to make sure that they do not do harm to others elsewhere.
We should not take good air quality in our rohe for granted. It would be a shame to see New Zealand grappling with the types of problems and illnesses faced by countries with poor air quality.
"Whatever you send up into the air, it's got to come down somewhere!" Kere
To ensure that a high standard of air quality is maintained in our rohe, for us and future generations.
Our rohe is, on the whole, a quiet, peaceful place to live. We enjoy being able to see the stars at night and have fresh, odour free air to breathe.
Development which includes inappropriate artificial lighting, strong smells, noisy activities and visual pollution would make our environment less pleasant to live in. It is important to manage these issues because they affect our feelings about and relationship with a place. If we do not feel good about the places we live, work and see every day, we do not feel good within ourselves.
To ensure that light, smells, noise and visual pollution do not reach levels which have an adverse impact on our people or environment.
As our world gets warmer, many things change. Polar ice is melting, causing sea level rise. Weather patterns are changing, often resulting in more extreme weather events such as storms and cyclones. The Taranaki Regional Council provided the following information on the impacts of climate change in the Taranaki Region -
At a regional level, research indicates that, over the next 70-100 years, Taranaki's temperatures could be up to 3°C warmer, the climate could be up to 20% wetter with more varied rainfall patterns, and flooding is likely to become more frequent and severe. The effects of climate change are manifold and likely to impose significant costs on the community. Global warming is expected to lead to a rise in the average sea level due to the thermal expansion of ocean water and melting of glacial and polar ice. Rising sea levels and more extreme weather events may increase coastal erosion, threaten vulnerable beaches and low-lying areas, and increase the need for coastal protection measures. In rural areas, if extreme events such as floods and droughts become more severe and frequent, costs to farmers associated with dealing with stock losses, increased soil erosion and damage and disruptions to farm operations would be expected to increase. A wetter climate may also increase pugging of pasture and cropping soils during winter. Hotter summer days could also increase competition for water uses in some areas between agricultural irrigation and domestic and industrial uses during drier periods. Generally warmer temperatures could further facilitate the spread of some pests, diseases and lower feed-quality sub-tropical grasses such as kikuyu grass. There may also be some benefits for agriculture and forestry through improved plant growth because of longer growing seasons and rising carbon dioxide levels and the potential for new crops and associated industries to move into new areas. In urban areas, heavier rainfall will put added pressure on drainage and storm water systems and increase flooding risks in some areas. Housing areas near river banks and lake shores are likely to become more prone to floods. Roading infrastructure might need more maintenance work and new structures such as bridges may need to accommodate higher flood peaks in their design
Climate change can adversely affect ecosystems including those with conservation and biodiversity values. The public health effects of climate change include warmer winters that might alleviate cold-related illnesses and death, and hotter summers that might cause heat stress and promote the spread of subtropical diseases and their vectors. Some greenhouse gas emissions are also indirectly contributing to ozone depletion, which results in increased ultraviolet radiation and increased risk of skin cancer. 1.
Māori see the world as a unified system in which all elements are linked. Climate change validates this perspective – we can see that changes to one part of the system may affect many other parts.
Many of the effects of climate change will directly affect Ngāti Mutunga values.
As storms become more frequent and powerful and sea level rises, we will see increasing coastal erosion. This erosion endangers many sites of significance and may make it harder for us to access mahinga kai.
Changes in temperature and weather patterns will threaten indigenous species, including taonga and mahinga kai species. Some scientists predict that increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will make sea water slightly more acidic. More acidic sea water will make it harder for shellfish to make and repair their shells and affect their ability to grow and breed. This could include kai species such as Kūtai/Kuku (mussels), pipi and tuangi (cockles) and may cause a drop in their populations. This will also affect species that eat shellfish, although scientists are not sure exactly what the effects will be. Indigenous plants and animals may not be able to live in their current habitats any more. Because much of their habitat is already damaged and fragmented, it may be hard for these species to move to more suitable areas.
Indigenous plants and animals may also be threatened by predators and pests which are able to outcompete them or invade new areas as environmental conditions change. We have already lost much of our indigenous biodiversity through land confiscation, clearing and the introduction of pest species. Further losses will have significant cultural, social and economic impacts.
1 Taranaki Regional Council, Regional Policy Statement for Taranaki 2017 update (accessed March 2019)
Ngāti Mutunga acknowledges that a concerted effort on behalf of all people is needed to minimize and manage the effects of climate change. We support the protection of cultural, spiritual and environmental values while providing for the wise use and development of resources. It is our role as kaitiaki to ensure that the world we pass on to our mokopuna is in good condition. It is too late to prevent climate change; we can already see some of the changes. Now we must balance the need to develop with the need to limit further emissions of greenhouse gasses and adapt to our changing environment.
To:-
There are two aspects to energy –
The Taranaki region generates energy from both renewable and non-renewable sources. Renewable sources of energy, such as sunshine, wind and water, come from natural sources that do not get used up or run out. Nonrenewable sources of energy include coal, oil and gas. These resources get used up in the generation process and are in limited supply. Use of these fuels will also emit greenhouse gasses.
Any method of generating energy on a large scale may have environmental and cultural effects. The use of nonrenewable energy sources may be inefficient, unsustainable, result in environmental destruction and contribute to climate change. Generating energy from renewable sources may be more environmentally friendly because it does not emit as much greenhouse gas, but, as with any form of development, it can have cultural and environmental effects such as changes to river systems and loss of natural landscapes.
New Zealand's demand for energy is increasing. This may lead to an increase in development for energy generation and increasing environmental and cultural effects. These issues can be managed by encouraging wise and efficient use of energy and promoting the use and development of small scale renewable energy sources such as solar panels.
The installation of equipment used for energy generation will involve earthworks. This section should be read alongside the section on Earthworks, set out in the Plains chapter on page 86.
To provide for development while managing the adverse effects of the generation and use of energy.
Iwi Environmental Management Plan