Kaupapa Maori

Bay of Plenty's Māori landscape is culturally rich and dynamic. 

Our region's population is 28 percent Māori. Of the region's land area, 38 percent is in Māori ownership, with 1800 Māori Land Trusts managing these assets. There are 35 iwi, 260 hapū and 224 marae located across the region. Te Arawa, Mataatua, Nukutere, Takitimu, Horouta and Tainui are the Waka grouping. 

Te Moana a Toi-te-Huatahi is the recognised Māori name for the region that translates to "The Ocean of Toi of the First Fruits". The region has a range of pristine natural landscapes including the Rotorua Te Arawa lakes, Tauranga Harbour, Ōhiwa Harbour and the Whakatāne, Kaituna, Rangitāiki and Wairoa Rivers. These natural resources are some of the taonga (jewels) of the region.  

Te Rōpū Kaitohutohu Māori: TE AMORANGI

Te Amorangi formally known as The Māori Policy team is part of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Strategic Engagement Group. This team consists of a Strategic Engagement Director, Kaihautu (Te Amorangi Lead), Pou Ngaio (Technical/Cultural), Strategic Engagement Coordinator, two Senior Treaty Advisors and three Māori Policy Advisors based in Whakatāne, Tauranga and Rotorua. Some of our work includes:

• Providing advice on Treaty claims and settlements.
• Supporting the Māori Committee and Councillors.
• Supporting the development of hapū and iwi management plans.
• Facilitating initiatives to building Māori capacity.
• Building staff awareness and understanding of the importance of cultural competency.
• Providing a conduit to improve or establish Council-Māori relationships.
• Supporting and building capacity in Resource Management Act legislation.
• Developing and implementing He Korowai Mātauranga (Mātauranga Māori Framework).

Te Amorangi Section has developed a Māori Engagement Charter, Māori Engagement Toolkit, and the Treaty of Waitangi Toolkit for Council staff to use to assist them in engaging with Māori. 

Māori Constituencies

Council became the first territorial authority to provide for Māori representation in local government.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council (Māori Constituency Empowering) Act 2001 established the three Māori Constituencies. These are:

• Mauao - Tauranga area
• Kōhi - Eastern Bay area 
• Ōkurei - Rotorua area

Councillors are elected to each constituency by residents on the Māori electoral roll. Māori Councillors are members of Council and fully participate in our decision-making processes.    

Komiti Māori

Komiti Māori (formerly known as Māori Committee) was established in 2006. Its primary function is to implement and monitor Council's legislative obligations to Māori. Meetings are held alternatively on marae and in Council Chambers across the region to enhance participation. Komiti Māori is a full committee of Council empowered to make recommendations and decisions to ensure Council’s responsiveness to Māori and compliance with obligations to Māori.

Meetings are chaired and lead by our 3 Māori Constituency Councillors as they rotate around the region. Komiti Māori is highly regarded for the purpose it serves and has been looked to by a number of other councils seeking to achieve the same.

He Korowai Mātauranga

Framework document   |  Summary pamphlet

Emerging from a Kōmiti Māori recommendation and approved by Council through the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan, He Korowai Mātauranga (internal mātauranga Māori framework) was informed by kaupapa Māori based research including interviews with mātauranga Māori practitioners throughout Aotearoa. The implementation of the framework is led by the Māori Policy Team.

He Korowai Mātauranga will be delivered internally through a three stage process:

Stage One: The development of a framework which outlines and describes the way in which mātauranga can enhance our work and nurture relationships with tangata whenua.

Stage Two: The development of an implementation plan to guide staff on ways to incorporate mātauranga Māori into the business of Toi Moana. A draft implementation plan will be ready 1 July 2019.

Stage Three: The implementation of the tools, resources and actions of He Korowai Mātauranga Framework.

RMA Hearing Commissioner Certification Sponsorship

We sponsor three iwi representatives each year to attend the Making Good Decisions training programme. The programme provides resource management decision makers with the skills to run fair and effective hearings and to make informed decisions. 

• Making Good Decisions Application Form.
• View more information on the Making Good Decisions Programme. 

Māori contact database

Te Amorangi maintains Māori contacts on the Accela database that records contact details of iwi/hapū and Māori groups of the region. Please send us any changes to your iwi/hapū contact details so that we can maintain an up-to-date database (see contact details below).