Report on Regional Hui

Consultation Hui

Held in November 2001
A summary of the hui discussions.

This summary of the hui discussions was prepared by Whaihua Consultants Ltd (Terry Smith, Arapine Walker) for the Biosecurity Strategy Development Team.

He Mihi

E ngä mana, e ngä reo, e ngä pätaka o ngä taonga o kui mä, o koro mä, tënä rä koutou katoa.

Tënä hoki tätou i ö tätou tini mate, e hinga atu nä i ngä marae maha o ö tätou mätua, ö tätou tïpuna, puta noa, puta noa. Kia mihia rätou, kia tangihia rätou. Nä reira, moe mai koutou te whakaarahia. Koutou te hunga mate ki a koutou, tätou te hunga ora ki a tätou, tënä anö tätou katoa.

Tënei te mihi atu ki a koutou i tae a tinana mai ki nga hui. Ko te tumanako, kia äta tätai te pürongo nei kei pokapoka, engari kia ühono noa atu ki te kaupapa.

Nä reira, ahakoa ngä piki me ngä heke o te wä, kia ü, kia kaha, kia manawanui. Mä te waahi ngaro tätou e tiaki, e manaaki, tae noa rawa mai.

1. Introduction

The Government is funding the development of a Biosecurity Strategy for New Zealand. The purpose is to obtain agreement on goals and objectives for New Zealand’s future biosecurity programmes.

Biosecurity is the protection of New Zealand’s environment, economy and people’s health from the risks posed by pests and diseases. It includes trying to prevent new pests and diseases from arriving, and eradicating and controlling those pests and diseases that are already present. A definition of biosecurity will be agreed as part of the strategy development process.

The Biosecurity Council (the Minister for Biosecurity’s advisory group) is co-ordinating the strategy’s development. A small strategy development team has been appointed to manage the project.

The project began in April 2001 and will be completed in December 2002. From May to July 2001, the strategy development team prepared and developed the Issues Paper from issues identified by a wide range of stakeholders. The paper, released in September 2001, served as the basis for early consultation with stakeholders, Maori and the wider community from October to December 2001.

The next steps in the process are to draw together the issues identified in public consultation, workshops and hui, and to develop a Draft Biosecurity Strategy. This work is due to be completed by 30th April 2002. There will be an opportunity for people to comment on the Draft Biosecurity Strategy from May to July 2002. The final strategy is due to be completed and launched in December 2002.

The public consultation process during October to December consisted of public meetings, workshops and a series of hui for Maori. There were seven hui held in Christchurch, Nelson, Hastings, Kaikohe, Rotorua, Whanganui and Dunedin, during November 2001.

A mailing list for the purposes of advertising the hui was compiled with assistance from the Ministry for the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Te Puni Kokiri. Notices of the hui were sent out to over 275 individuals and organisations, ranging from tribal groups, to national organisations and individuals working in environment and natural resource management areas. Media releases were sent out to all the major Maori print, radio and television media organisations.

This report is a summary of the major issues from all the hui and a record of the discussions at each hui. For the purposes of producing this report comments have been grouped together according to the main issues. All care and respect was taken to ensure that the essence of the comments is retained.

2. A Summary of Issues

The Themes

There were seventeen distinct areas identified through the discussions across all the hui. These were as follows:

  • Balancing Cultural and Biosecurity Imperatives – striking a balance between cultural issues and biosecurity risks.
  • Education – the importance and relevance of education programmes to increase awareness about biosecurity.
  • The Treaty of Waitangi – defining and giving practical expression to the Maori - Crown relationship.
  • Kaitiaki – acknowledging the role of kaitiaki.
  • Biosecurity – defining biosecurity roles, responsibilities, controls and values.
  • Managing Introduced Pests – looking at indigenous methods of the use and control of introduced organisms.
  • Agency Response – the responsiveness of agencies to biosecurity concerns.
  • Representation – the need for Maori representation and how that should happen.
  • Biosecurity costs – the question of who should pay for biosecurity.
  • Decision-making – involving Maori in decision-making.
  • Recognition – recognising Maori values and methods.
  • Best Practice and Legislation – encouraging ‘best practice’ rather than relying on legislation only.
  • Initiatives – recognising tribal initiatives.
  • The Pacific – reinforcing our ties with the people of the Pacific.
  • Participation – taking a participatory role.
  • Communication – using the appropriate means of communication with Maori.
  • Suggested Model – a model for giving effect to the Treaty relationship.

The Most Common Issues

The most common issues identified in hui were based on the Treaty of Waitangi, Biosecurity, Biosecurity Costs, Agency Response and Kaitiaki. These are explained below.

1. The Treaty of Waitangi

At all hui, the Treaty and its implications for the relationship between Crown and Maori were discussed. That Maori are the Treaty partner, and not just another stakeholder or interest group, was raised at all hui. Various views were expressed about the efficacy of putting a Treaty clause into legislation.

Participants felt that a Treaty clause was needed in biosecurity legislation as a basis to define the relationships between Maori, the Crown and those agencies responsible for biosecurity. This needed to be backed up with adequate guidance as to what this meant in practice for agencies involved in biosecurity, and with adequate resources to enable agencies and iwi to implement an effective Treaty partnership.

A key aspect of the Treaty relationship raised at the hui was representation of Maori at all levels - from the Crown and its various agencies to local authorities. Several suggestions were put forward to facilitate the notion of representation based on the Treaty. Ideas ranged from a separate Maori structure, to modifying the current structure so that Maori have representation at all levels in the structure.

At several of the hui the concept of a designated body was put forward, to consider matters of importance to Maori, including biosecurity and other related areas. This body was as described as a ‘paepae’, and as a ‘kaitiaki’ body.

2. Biosecurity

Discussion on biosecurity matters covered issues such as:

  • Current roles and responsibilities of government agencies – the need for clearer definition and understanding of the roles of the various agencies involved in biosecurity and how these needed to be co-ordinated to interact more effectively with Maori.
  • Biosecurity consultation processes – biosecurity processes to be cognisant of the range of Maori interests, structures and processes.
  • Biosecurity controls – general agreement that biosecurity is an important issue for the country and that a higher level of biosecurity protection is desirable.
  • Incorporation of Maori values – the need for recognition and incorporation of Maori values into biosecurity processes and decision-making.

3. Biosecurity Costs

The most commonly expressed view was that sectors that benefit the most from activities with a high level of biosecurity risk should pay a higher proportion of the costs of biosecurity than individual taxpayers and ratepayers.

There were various suggestions put forward as to how costs should be levied. These ranged from a tax on activities, for example tourists coming into the country, fines for biosecurity breaches, and compulsory insurance for all those involved in activities that pose a biosecurity risk, such as the fishing industry and importers. Some participants thought that compliance and liability should be clearly assigned in agreements with relevant industries and trading partners.

4. Agency Response

Participants at several hui mentioned the unsatisfactory response of current biosecurity agencies. All of those participants commented that there was definitely a need for improvement in that area. One participant stated that education campaigns are wasted if the relevant agencies are not able to respond appropriately.

5. Kaitiaki

The role of kaitiaki was described in a number of ways at several of the hui. Some participants ascribed the role of kaitiaki to Maori in terms of an obligation derived from whakapapa - the genealogical connections of the people with the land - to protect the environment. Others discussed kaitiaki at the level of hapu - as a collective responsibility for their area. Others described the role of kaitiaki as individuals with a role as a repository of knowledge and responsibility for a specific resource.

The key issues that came through the hui were the inability of Maori to exercise their kaitiaki role. This inability was related to:

  • Poor understanding and recognition by agencies of the role of kaitiaki.
  • Current processes and structures constraining the role of kaitiaki.
  • General lack of capacity (resources) for Maori to exercise this role.

Page last updated: 16 October 2008