April 30, 2021
Muriwhenua iwi advance DOC relationship


Far North iwi have signed a new agreement with the Department of Conservation.
Te Rarawa chair Haami Piripi says it builds on agreements already reached in settlement redress, and clarifies the working relationship between tribal kaitiaki and DOC managers.
Almost a third of the rohe is conservation land, and the various iwi also won back title to land which maintained its reserve status.
He says it’s about time the department embraced a Māori world view.
"The green movement, up until fairly recently, hasn't considered Māori input to be that valuable. It's only now, with international best practice and standards, that people are beginning to realise indigenous paradigms are the cutting edge of conservation management. That's a good thing. And so the Department of Conservation are really getting into this because they can see the benefit to their work," Mr Piripi says.
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