Papa Pounamu announced plans this week for a collaboration with Access to Experts (A2E), a free service led by Beca in collaboration with NZ Landcare Trust on behalf of the Ministry for the Environment. A2E supports iwi and hapū, regional councils, and communities looking to protect their local waterways while working with government on their plans for freshwater reform.
A2E makes it easier for iwi and hapū, regional councils and community catchment groups engage with, understand, and implement the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM).
The service connects iwi and hapū, regional councils, community catchment groups to freshwater experts who can provide guidance and support on everything, from nutrients and sediment to wetlands and mahinga kai.
To strengthen opportunities and awhi delivery with iwi and hapū, A2E is collaborating with Papa Pounamu, who they recognise as champions for the role of Māori in the Aotearoa New Zealand resource management system. As a special interest group of NZPI, Papa Pounamu advocate for the empowerment and enabling of Māori in resource management, environmental planning and decision making.
A2E will provide another avenue for iwi and hapū wanting to understand, recognise and provide for Te Mana o te Wai within their rohe, or find a planner or practitioner to provide support through strategic action planning, facilitating relationships with councils, or mapping and/or monitoring tīpuna awa (culturally significant waterways).
A2E was launched in mid-2023 and has already supported a number of iwi and hapū in their aspirations for freshwater management. Recent work with Bay of Plenty iwi Te Kapu Ō Waitaha received positive feedback from Waitaha whānau Rangituaia Walker.
“With an A2E expert working alongside us, it gave some confidence that our efforts towards Wai Ora/Wai Māori were well considered, from both mātauranga Māori and western science perspectives,” says Walker.
Through the guidance and connections of Papa Pounamu, A2E adds another channel to connect with a wider range of experts, and iwi and hāpu that are on mission to restore and enhance their tīpuna awa and roto (waterbodies).
Papa Pounamu has also partnered with The Stream to provide specialised Māori monitoring tools for iwi and hapū. These tools will help them not only monitor their waterways but also deeply interpret, visualise, and communicate their data. This will empower local guardians (kaitiaki) and support Māori leadership in making informed decisions about freshwater management, working with councils and water users in their regions.
A2E Programme Director Raymond Chang says that the collaboration with Papa Pounamu is an important one for iwi and hapū looking for freshwater management support.
“This also means A2E can support those seeking to enhance Te Mana o te Wai - the health and wellbeing of water - but also that of the communities that whakapapa and connect to those waters,” says Chang.
The collaboration comes at a key time. The Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill has been introduced to Parliament and changes to the NPS-FM are a key focus area of this Bill.
To find out more about A2E and their collaborators visit their website HERE.
