Working together to enhance the Te Wai-o-Hingāna, Arapawanui, Waipātiki and Te Ngārue catchments is the aim of an historic agreement between Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust and the Hawke's Bay Regional Council.
These catchments will be enhanced by using surplus funding sourced from the Tangoio Soil Conservation Reserve.
As part of Treaty Settlements, HBRC must set up a Catchments Fund. The fund will receive money from the Tangoio Soil Conservation Reserve Operating Reserve and will then be used to help fund enhancement projects the Trust wishes to undertake in the area.
Trust members attended last Wednesday's Council meeting to discuss the new agreement before its Chairman Tom Manaena and HBRC Chairman Fenton Wilson signed the agreement.
Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust General Manager Shayne Walker says the agreement sets out how the partnership will operate, based on Māori principles.
“This agreement is another positive step forward in treaty settlements and an indication of the level of partnership and expectation of how we wish to engage,” says Walker.
HBRC Group Manager – Asset Management Mike Adye says the agreement cements the relationship between the Council and the Trust.
“Staff are currently working with the Trust to develop a programme of work to be funded from the fund, which may include major riparian enhancement work around Lake Tūtira,” adds Adye.