1 Executive Summary
In December 2006, the government released five documents relating to climate change and energy use:
-
measures to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Post 2012
-
transitional Measures
-
sustainable Land Management and Climate Change
-
powering Our Future – New Zealand Energy Strategy, and the
-
New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy.
Together, these documents proposed the options for New Zealand’s response to meeting the challenge of climate change.
During March and April 2007, 13 regional consultation hui with Māori were held around the country to discuss the climate change issues and options proposed in the discussion documents. The present report provides a summary of the key themes that emerged from the 13 hui.
At every hui there was widespread acknowledgement from tangata whenua that climate change is an important and urgent issue, that our actions—and inaction—will be judged by future generations, and that balance must be restored in the environment. It became clear that for Māori this conversation has come quite late, because this has been part of Māori awareness for a long time. However, equally prevalent was the desire for further and better information about the economic impacts and opportunities that might flow from the proposed policies on climate change.
During the hui, tangata whenua expressed their own values and had unique kōrero1 in relation to the problems and opportunities in their own regions. This included Māori concepts and values, such as recognition of the importance of kaitiaki2, as a core element of New Zealand’s response to the challenge of climate change. There was also consensus among Māori that the Crown needs to observe the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi when developing policy that would affect Māori. The principle of partnership is particularly important in this regard.
