HIGHLIGHTS

HIGHLIGHTS ngā pikinga

NGĀTI TŪWHARETOA PROPERTY RIGHTS IN LAKE UPHELD BY HIGH COURT

In August 2017 we filed an application to the High Court for a Declaratory Judgment to clarify the extent of our property rights in relation to commercial entities operating on the lake.

For various reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic, it was not until September 2020 that our application was heard in Wellington. The High Court released its decision in July 2021 and upheld the property rights of Tūwharetoa, including our ability to require commercial operators to be licenced and to pay a fee for running their business on our property.

The Declaratory Judgment has provided clarity for all concerned. During the pandemic, in good faith, we have provided support to our local community and operators by not charging fees.

ANIMATED VIDEO BRINGS TO LIFE TŪWHARETOA STORY ABOUT THE WAIKATO AWA

We partnered with the Ngā Kaihautu o te Awa o Waikato Committee, Ngāti Tūwharetoa Mercury Development Group and Ngāti Tūwharetoa Genesis Energy Committee to produce the ‘Waikato the Wanderer’ animated video.

The video tells a Ngāti Tūwharetoa story about the creation of the Waikato Awa. It was produced as a key resource for Ngāti Tūwharetoa hapū, marae, whānau and kura so that our mātauranga and tupuna kōrero is shared and strengthened.

A launch for the video was held at the Starlight Cinema in Taupō for Tūwharetoa whānau and has since had thousands of views online.

To watch the video – go to our YouTube channel.

RINGA RAUPA PROJECT PROVIDES JOBS FOR TŪWHARETOA URI

We were successful in securing government funding in September 2020 under the Provincial Growth Fund to enable us to establish our Ringa Raupa project. The year long project created full time employment for ten (10) Tūwharetoa people.

The project involved carrying out marae renovation and maintenance work around the rohe. To date, the team has completed a variety of projects at Waihi, Kakahi, Otukou and Korohe marae. They were scheduled to complete work at Nukuhau marae at the end of October.

The project has been such a success we are now looking to fund it for another twelve-month term to provide continued employment for our people.

CARING FOR OUR TAONGA TUKU IHO – WATER MONITORING

Following the July 2020 transfer of water monitoring functions to the Trust Board from the Waikato Regional Council – our Natural Resources team have received on the job training to understand the technical aspects of water monitoring work.

Tūwharetoa became the first iwi in the country to be transferred such functions usually carried out by a council under the Resource Management Act.