Labour is promising to restore Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements if elected, putting iwi participation in environmental and resource management decision-making firmly into the 2026 election campaign.
Labour Māori-Crown relations spokesperson Willie Jackson says the party would reinstate the agreements in resource management legislation, arguing the Government’s replacement of them has weakened established pathways for iwi to participate in decisions affecting whenua, wai and other Māori interests.
The pledge comes just a day after Parliament passed the Government’s Planning and Natural Environment Bills, replacing the Resource Management Act. Under the new system, existing and initiated Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements will not transfer across. Instead, councils will be able to establish more narrowly defined iwi participation agreements.
Jackson has also pointed to opposition from five Waikato River iwi chairs, who have argued the changes conflict with Crown obligations arising from Treaty settlements and could undermine years of work aimed at restoring the health of the Waikato River. Labour says restoring Mana Whakahono ā Rohe would help rebuild the partnership approach.
The Government disputes claims Māori participation is being removed from the planning system. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has told Parliament that Māori participation remains embedded at national, regional spatial planning and plan-making levels, while the new iwi participation agreements are intended to be more tightly focused.
The competing approaches now leave voters with a clear policy divide over how iwi and hapū should participate in decisions affecting natural resources and the environment.
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