May 27, 2015
Models sought for working with miners
Maori research organisation Nga Pae o Te Maramatanga is looking across the Tasman for clues on how Maori could engage better with mining and oil companies.
Lead researcher Andrew Erueti is leading a major project that will involve discussions with iwi, oil and mineral exploration companies and regulators.
As a prelude Nga Pae is holding a day-long symposium in Auckland next month involving those groups as well as Aboriginal speakers.
He says Australia has developed a system of indigenous land use agreements, which can offer significant economic benefits and employment opportunities for local indigenous people.
"That sort of culture of agreement-making doesn't really take place on the same sort of scale as Australia, so we want to work out why that's the case and what might be done to improve that position so that more iwi and hapu in New Zealand are entering into meaningful engagement processes, are fully informed about what is going on with projects and have the opportunity of reaching some sort of agreement with industry if they choose to do so," he says.
Mr Erueti presented a seminar today at the University of Auckland's Waipapa Marae on how recent developments in international law provide insights into addressing the issues raised for iwi and hapu by the extractive industry.
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