Skip to main content

Protecting and enhancing the whenua

Protecting and enhancing whenua helps to ensure it remains for future generations. 

As an owner, you can talk to the advisory or responsible trustees for your trust to identify ways to improve and protect your whenua.

Identifying opportunities

Asset Management Plans are currently completed for whenua where the Māori Trustee is responsible trustee. These plans help to identify opportunities for improving the whenua we administer and look at possible uses for the whenua such as horticulture and agriculture.

The plans also consider the strategic direction for both whenua and non-land assets held by the trust, in the short, medium and longer term, whilst taking into consideration the aspiration of owners.

If there’s an opportunity to change the use of the whenua, our kaimahi work with specialists to get the information so the best decision can be made.

Protection of the whenua

A Farm Environment Plan (FEP) is a tool that can help recognise on-farm environmental risks and set out a programme to manage those risks. FEPs are produced for all whenua we administer as responsible trustee.

FEPs are unique to a property and reflect the local climate and soils, the type of farming operation, and the goals and aspirations of the land user. The level of complexity of a FEP will largely depend on how much farm system change is underway or being considered.

The plan also ensures that the whenua is being managed in accordance with statutory regulations and identifies actions to effectively protect the whenua.

Is there a cost for these plans?

If the Māori Trustee is the responsible trustee for your whenua, the cost of these plans will be charged to the trust account.

Where the Māori Trustee acts as an agent or custodian trustee for your whenua, the responsible trustees for your trust can kōrero with us about getting an Asset Management Plan or Farm Environment Plan completed for the whenua they administer. There is a fee for this service.

Submissions on proposals affecting whenua Māori  

We are sometimes invited by government agencies to meet with them to discuss proposal, proposed policy or regulation that may impact whenua Māori or the administration of it.

Although we cannot speak for all our owners, we know that some proposals, policy and regulation can have a negative or unintended impact and work hard to ensure those promoting them understand this and where appropriate, attempt to persuade them to make changes.

On occasion, the Māori Trustee will make formal submissions on these matters, whether as part of a formal Parliamentary process or outside of that process.