The Marine and Coastal Area Act has resulted in over 580 applications for the recognition of customary rights and customary marine title over 10 million hectares of our foreshore and seabed, out to 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres), including harbours, estuaries and river mouths, the airspace above and many of the minerals below. Continue reading

The Resource Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 is a little publicised, yet very important document. It proposes reforms which will require councils to increase consultation with iwi overall and to do this earlier in plan making processes, including inviting iwi to form an Iwi Participation Arrangement. This arrangement will set out how a council will engage and consult with iwi when developing or changing plans. Continue reading

Democracy Action is alarmed by a number of provisions in the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP) that provide one class of citizens, loosely defined as “Mana Whenua”, with new and substantial powers over Auckland’s resources and the private property of its citizens. This erosion of our democratic values brings with it higher development costs and time delays, opaque decision making, inevitable conflicts of interest, and an unacceptable risk of corruption. Continue reading