Working with iwi
Māori are key partners, stakeholders and members of our community.
The Bay of Plenty has the largest number of iwi within any region in New Zealand and also has New Zealand's second largest Māori population.
- There are 35 iwi groups (iwi authorities and/or iwi rūnanga), 260 hapū and 224 marae.
- The Bay of Plenty region has the second highest rate of Māori language speakers in the country.
- Māori represent almost a third of the region’s population.
- Around 37 percent of land tenure is in Māori title. There are more than 5000 parcels of Māori land in the region.
- There are approximately 1800 land trusts in the region which hold more than $6.6 billion in assets.
- Recent Treaty settlements delivered $433 million of investment funding into the Bay of Plenty region. This will increase with future settlements.
Māori make a significant contribution to our region through their ownership of notable assets; contribution to economic development; participation in co-governance and their growing influence in the conservation, preservation and management of our natural resources.
Our region's population is 28 percent Māori. Of the regions 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 and many have iwi or hapū management plans.
We work on a wide range of planning and policy issues that may require some form of Māori and iwi engagement. We are committed to growing our partnerships with Māori through collaborative engagement.
The Waitangi Tribunal has held 17 historical inquiries across the region identifying Treaty breaches. Iwi have used these reports to support negotiations of several comprehensive Treaty settlements with the Office of Treaty Settlements.
The Ngā Whakaaetanga-ā-Ture ki Te Taiao ā Toi (Statutory Acknowledgements in the Bay of Plenty) is a compendium document to be read as an attachment to and in conjunction with the Operative Rotorua Geothermal Regional Plan including proposed regional plan or policy statement, and any variation or change notified by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
In August 2021 Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council made a decision to fly the National Māori flag (NZMF) daily.
