Listen Now: 
December 04, 2024
Minister highlights public priorities in scrutiny reviews
Atereano Mateariki
Posted On December 4, 2024
Download AudioConservation and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says recent scrutiny hearings provided valuable insight into public priorities.
At yesterday’s scrutiny hearings, the Department of Conservation and Te Puni Kōkiri faced questions from MPs.
Discussions included potential reforms to the Conservation Act, with suggestions that parts of the conservation estate could be transferred or sold.
Potaka says iwi have the first right of refusal under settlement arrangements, meaning any changes would require consultation with Māori.
“If there was the opportunity to do that, it would go down the pathway as committed in various Treaty settlements. And certainly, most Treaty settlements in the rural and regional areas of New Zealand have some conservation that is included, and sometimes conservation land is transferred back to iwi,” says Potaka.
Today, Te Arawhiti – the Office for Māori Crown Relations, will undergo its annual review.
RELATED NEWS
