Wagner Nicky: Resource Management (Enhancement of Iwi Management Plans) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Wagner Nicky: Resource Management (Enhancement of Iwi Management Plans) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 21 July 2010. Volume:665;Page:12598. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
NICKY WAGNER (National) 
: 
 I rise to speak on the Resource Management (Enhancement of Iwi Management Plans) Amendment Bill. I thank the Hon Nanaia Mahuta for this bill and for raising the issue of iwi management plans. 
This bill aims to strengthen the provisions by which iwi management plans influence regional and district plans and policies and elevate their status in the planning hierarchy. Under this bill regional councils would be required to “recognise and provide for” iwi management plans as opposed to what is legislated now which is to “take into account” those plans. Charles Chauvel has spoken eloquently of Maori being involved in the front end of Resource Management Act issues. This bill does nothing to change the process; it merely elevates the status. It would be another change to the status of iwi management plans because this bill’s provisions were amended in 2004. Previously decision makers were required to “have regard to” iwi management plans and in 2004 this was changed to “take into account”. 
National does not support this bill. We are already involved in a process of updating and reforming the Resource Management Act which includes reforms to increase Maori participation in the Resource Management Act process. Phase one of the reforms was the Resource Management (Simplifying and Streamlining) Amendment Act and that Act went a long way towards reducing costs uncertainties and delays that had frustrated New Zealand homeowners small businesses and farmers for many years. During that process we heard a lot about iwi management plans and learnt that although some iwi have detailed plans and have used the process very effectively others have not. Ngai Tahu the South Island iwi and the iwi of my home town Christchurch have a comprehensive set of iwi management plans. They have found that their plans have been taken into consideration and have been very useful. However there is a lack of consistency on the number and quality of iwi plans across the country. As a first step all iwi should be encouraged to develop iwi plans and this bill would do nothing for iwi if they did not have plans in place. 
National’s reform of the Resource Management Act is continuing. We are now on to our second phase of reforms which will address aquaculture the new structure of the Environmental Protection Authority freshwater management urban design and infrastructure issues. National has already identified the need for more Maori participation in the Resource Management Act process. One of the four objectives of the second phase of reforms is “providing for efficient and improved participation of Maori in resource management processes.” We believe that will be a better way to ensure iwi plans are recognised and provided for without additional legislative complexity. 
We therefore conclude that concerns of Maori will be more effectively considered through phase two of the Resource Management Act reforms than under the Resource Management (Enhancement of Iwi Management Plans) Amendment Bill.