Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board responsible for water monitoring functions

In 2020, the Waikato Regional Council transferred a number of its water quality monitoring functions, specifically in relation to Taupō Waters, to the Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board under section 33 of the RMA. This marked the first time in Aotearoa that any part of section 33 has been used by a council to formally transfer any function to an iwi authority (for the purposes of the RMA), setting a precedent for future delegations of functions in resource management. The public engagement process on the transfer was thorough and inclusive, ensuring that the community had ample opportunity to provide input. The result is a situation that enables Ngāti Tūwharetoa to be directly involved in state of the environment monitoring for their moana (Lake Taupō) with the Council playing a supporting role. The Council provides ongoing funding for the costs associated with the transferred functions.

The section 33 transfer of monitoring functions was the result of the long-standing collaborative relationship between the Council and the Trust Board and recognises Ngāti Tūwharetoa as kaitiaki of Taupō Waters. The monitoring involves activities such as taking weekly water samples from Lake Taupō beach sites during summer months, monthly assessments of water quality at 12 regional rivers that are tributaries to Lake Taupō, regular groundwater monitoring, analysing data and results, and alerting the authorities to areas of concern and ensuring action is taken.

There are benefits of the transfer of functions including enhanced local engagement, cost efficiency for Council and more streamlined processes for delivering monitoring functions, a deeper understanding for both Ngāti Tūwharetoa and the Council on the health of Taupō moana, and increased technical capability and knowledge – both within the Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board and Council.

The successful transfer of monitoring functions to the Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board earned Waikato Regional Council and the Trust Board the Buddle Findlay Award for Bicultural Leadership at the Taituara Local Government Excellence Awards in 2021.