Summary of iwi and hapū consultation in 2025

The Programmes guide how the Minister, Chief Executive, or other delegated decision-makers will exercise their powers and carry out their functions under the Crown Minerals Act 1991 and associated regulations. They explain how key provisions of the legislation will be interpreted and applied, and how decision-makers will have regard to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi.

In 2025, the Programmes were updated including through consultation with iwi and hapū both through kanohi ki te kanohi hui, online meetings and written submissions. We wish to acknowledge those who met with us and shared their perspectives. Below is a summary of the feedback we received, and the changes we made in response.

Key matters raised by iwi and hapū

• The importance of the Crown upholding the Treaty of Waitangi and commitments to iwi and hapū.
• Strong opposition to the Government’s decision to repeal the ban on petroleum exploration beyond onshore Taranaki, and the reintroduction of the promotional aspects of the purpose statement and Ministerial functions in the CMA.
• A call to strengthen section 4 of the CMA, requiring decision-makers “give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi”, rather than “have regard to the principles of the Treaty”.
• Wāhi tapu and culturally significant sites must be excluded from permits, and details relating to these sites must be protected.
• Environmental wellbeing and food security should be prioritised alongside economic goals. Decision-making under the CMA should require the consideration of the environmental effects of activities, rather than relying on environmental consenting regimes or processes.
• Early engagement with iwi and hapū by the Crown is essential, and it is important the information provided is accessible to enable iwi and hapū to meaningfully contribute.
• All permit holders, not just Tier 1, should be required to submit iwi engagement reports, and attend meetings.
• Crown consultation is resource intensive for iwi and hapū; timeframes should be extended and financial support provided.
• MBIE must ‘close the loop’ following consultation and keep good records of previous submissions by iwi and hapū.

Key updates to the Minerals Programmes from iwi and hapū feedback

Relationship recognition

Added detail about the different types of relationship and commitments between the Crown and iwi and hapū, acknowledging their evolving nature.

• Crown consultation – retained and, in some cases, strengthened Crown consultation obligations. For example, explicitly included Post-Settlement Governance Entities representing maunga and awa.
• Rohe identification – clarified how MBIE will identify the rohe of an iwi or hapū, including where no map is provided in settlement documents.
• Land exclusions maintained – continued exclusion of land previously excluded from the operation of the Minerals Programmes, recognising the importance of these areas to iwi and hapū.
• Tier 3 permit consultation – Tier 3 minerals permit applications will follow the same consultation process as other applications for minerals permits, with feedback from iwi and hapū informing decisions.
• Commitments take precedence – the Programmes include a provision that, where a Treaty commitment provides more specific obligations, those commitments override the general consultation process.
• Accessible information – Treaty commitment texts relevant to the CMA are now incorporated by reference and hosted on the NZP&M website to improve accessibility.

Some of the feedback we received related to core aspects of the CMA. Because the Minerals Programmes must align with the CMA and regulations, we were unable to make changes to reflect these comments. However, we’ve kept this feedback for future policy work.