Election year:
2023
Political party:
Te Pāti Māori
Associated politicians:
Policy:
Water and Oceans
- Overturn the Crown’s position that “everyone owns water” and instead adopt a position that acknowledges Māori proprietary, customary, and decision-making rights and interests to freshwater.
- Acknowledge the intrinsic whakapapa of freshwater, and support hapū and iwi to negotiate for those whakapapa rights to be acknowledged in law.
- Restart negotiations between the Government and hapū and iwi to develop a policy framework on how Māori rights and interests are implemented in freshwater management and allocation.
- Substantially increase funding to the Te Mana o te Wai fund to support the efforts of whānau, hapū and iwi to protect and restore catchments and aquifers.
- Put a moratorium on new consents for water bottling plants, until a new allocation system has been developed.
- Develop a commercial user pays policy to help ensure fair allocation and support with tangata whenua-led catchment restoration.
- See more here