Te Kaupapa Kaitiaki is a high-level plan focusing on sustainable development and cultural values to guide environmental, social, and economic decisions in the Taupō catchment. The plan is based on Ngāti Tūwharetoa perspectives, and reflects Ngāti Tūwharetoa aspirations and vision for the area's future.
The plan will be integrated into local government plans, strategies and activities.
Ngāti Tūwharetoa Claims Settlement Act 2018
In March 2015, Ngāti Tūwharetoa began negotiating with the Crown to resolve historical grievances, resulting in a settlement agreement signed in July 2017.
The Ngāti Tūwharetoa Claims Settlement Act, passed in December 2018, resolved most of their Treaty of Waitangi claims, apart from the Tongariro National Park and freshwater rights and interests, while acknowledging the Crown's historical failures since 1840. The Act emphasises enhancing Ngāti Tūwharetoa's environmental and resource management in the Taupō catchment, respecting their cultural practices, values, and knowledge.
Te Kaupapa Kaitiaki
A key component of the Act is Te Kaupapa Kaitiaki, a high-level plan focusing on sustainable development and cultural values to guide environmental, social, and economic decisions in the Taupō catchment.
This plan, not containing specific rules or methods, is based on Ngāti Tūwharetoa perspectives, outlined in two principal kaupapa developed during the settlement process – Ngā Pou e Toru, and Te Kapua Whakapipi. These principles reflect their aspirations and vision for the area's future.
The Act also aligns with resource management and local government reforms, promoting better iwi participation in decision-making and integrating iwi values and knowledge. Te Kaupapa Kaitiaki aims to benefit the catchment while strengthening partnerships between local government, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and local communities.
Joint committee - Te Kōpu ā Kānapanapa
The Te Kōpu ā Kānapanapa committee, established by the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Claims Settlement Act 2018, aims to restore, protect, and enhance the Taupō catchment's environment, culture, and spirituality. It also provides strategic leadership for the area's sustainable management and offers a way for Ngāti Tūwharetoa to jointly manage the catchment with local government, exercising their traditional authority and guardianship.
The committee, which includes members from Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Waikato Regional Council, and Taupō District Council, focuses on environmental care, cultural and spiritual wellbeing, and implementing Te Kaupapa Kaitiaki's vision for the benefit of Ngāti Tūwharetoa and future generations.
Implementation
To put Te Kaupapa Kaitiaki into action, the plan will mainly be integrated into local government plans and activities, including regional and district plans, sub-catchment and zone plans, as well as pest management strategies.
Te Kōpu ā Kānapanapa will create an implementation plan to outline necessary steps and measure the outcomes of Te Kaupapa Kaitiaki.
This initiative recognises that realising the vision for the catchment requires a collaborative, whole-of-catchment approach. It will need the combined efforts of councils, communities, agencies, stakeholders, businesses, and individuals, both now and in the future.
Ngā Pou e Toru
Te pou tuatahi: Tongariro te maunga encapsulates mana whakahaere – the undivided and enduring authority and control of Tūwharetoa over themselves and their rohe – ki uta ki tai (from the mountains to the sea – through a holistic system of integrated catchment management).
Tongariro is the traditional name given by Ngāti Tūwharetoa to the mountain range of the Central Plateau, including its three peaks of Mount Tongariro, Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Ruapehu. It is synonymous with Ngāti Tūwharetoa and therefore considered a taonga tapu (sacred treasure).
Te pou tuarua: Te mātāpuna o te wai, te ahi tāmou represents the health and wellbeing of lakes, waterways, geothermal resources and the surrounding environment and how each nourish the health and wellbeing of the people.
Te mātāpuna o te wai, kei te pūmau tonu te hā o Tūwharetoa, kei te pūmau tonu te ahi tāmou. Kei te pūmau tonu te ahi tāmou, kei te pūmau tonu te hā o Tūwharetoa.
The geothermal resources within the Taupō Catchment have sustained the livelihood of Ngāti Tūwharetoa for generations. The lakes and waterways are a source of tribal identity and mana, and of physical sustenance and spiritual restoration.
Te pou tuatoru: Tūwharetoa te iwi, Tūwharetoa te hapū, seeks to strengthen Ngāti Tūwharetoa mana whakahaere, tino rangatiratanga and kaitiakitanga of whānau, hapū and Ngāti Tūwharetoa as a whole. To this end, Te Kaupapa Kaitiaki will commit to objectives for social development and economic prosperity for Tūwharetoa te iwi, Tūwharetoa te hapū as well as environmental, cultural and spiritual health and wellbeing.
Symbolises the inextricable accountability of hapū, whānau, Te Arikitanga and Te Ariki for ensuring the security and holistic wellbeing of Ngāti Tūwharetoa and its institutions.
Ngāti Tūwharetoa whakapapa binds people to place and is expressed through kinship and kaitiakitanga – an intrinsic duty to protect the environment, its natural resources and those who belong to it.
Map of Taupō catchment
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