Maori national park for region?

Laurel Stowell | 27th May 2009

Whanganui National Park could be the first in New Zealand to be designated a Maori national park.

Wanganui conservator Damian Coutts has told the Waitangi Tribunal he's ready, willing and able to consider with iwi what this might mean.

And the park's management plan is being redrafted and may reflect this.

However he said he had no authority to make decisions about the ownership of the park's 74,000ha, which is under a Treaty of Waitangi claim, or to delegate its management.

He was bound to work within existing laws.

Decisions about ownership belonged with the Waitangi Tribunal and within the process of settling Whanganui lands inquiry (Wai 903).

The tribunal is holding hearings at Wanganui's Putiki Marae this week. Crown entities are outlining their work with Whanganui Maori and are being cross-examined by lawyers and the tribunal.

Putiki's whare kai (dining room) held at least 100 listeners on Monday as Mr Coutts gave evidence on behalf of the Department of Conservation (DOC).

At least 25 lawyers sat listening at long tables. It was their turn to cross-examine Mr Coutts and DOC Whanganui Area Manager Nic Peet yesterday.

Members of the tribunal, including Judge Carrie Wainwright, were at another table at the top of the room, and a large marquee has been erected to house diners.

Before European settlers arrived there were many pa, urupa (graveyards) and kainga (villages) along the Whanganui River, Mr Coutts said. When the national park was set up in the mid 1980s discussions led Maori to expect they would have a primary role in running it. Mr Coutts said it was difficult to determine from DOC files exactly what was said at the time.

The reality of state ownership and management had been a source of grievance to Whanganui Maori ever since. When the Te Ranga (Iwi) Forum was set up in 1995, it wanted park assets and management transferred to Maori within five to 10 years.

It also wanted the park headquarters to be at Pipiriki, where it would create jobs for local people. Mr Coutts said this was still not a viable option.

When he was appointed conservator in early 2007 one of his priorities was to mend the relationship with tangata whenua. He and key staff members had put a lot of effort into this, he said.

A new iwi forum was about to be formed, with representatives from all the groups on the river. The wording of its relationship document was now out for discussion.

The number of jobs created in the park was fewer than hoped, but about half its staff were Whanganui River people, he said. And a new scheme was afoot to train unemployed people to work there.

Instead of one Maori liaison person (pou kura taiao), the conservancy now had three and all staff received training in Maori culture.

A small team of contracted Whanganui iwi writers were working with DOC staff on a redraft of the park's management plan, and would probably also be involved with reviewing sections of its management strategy. The redrafting would likely enshrine a commitment to future co-operation and to changing the park's name.