Iwi Chairs Forum

Iwi Chairs Forum
Name	Iwi Chairs Forum
Formation	2007
Region served	Aotearoa New Zealand
Type	Māori collective leadership forum
Headquarters	Rotorua (meetings rotated)

Iwi Chairs Forum is a national collective of tribal chairs and mandated representatives from major iwi and hapū across Aotearoa New Zealand that convenes to discuss strategic issues affecting Māori. It brings together rangatira from iwi such as Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Tūhoe, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, and Ngāti Whātua to coordinate positions on matters including Treaty settlements, freshwater, and economic development. The Forum operates alongside institutions like Te Puni Kōkiri, Waitangi Tribunal, Office of Treaty Settlements, and regional rūnanga to present unified or coordinated advocacy on national policy.

History

The Forum emerged in the 2000s amid a landscape shaped by landmark negotiations and litigation including the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998, the work of the Waitangi Tribunal, and ongoing settlement processes administered by the Office of Treaty Settlements. Initial hui were influenced by leadership who had participated in events such as the Wai 262 claim and the response to legislative matters like the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 and subsequent debates around the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011. Early gatherings included chairs from iwi engaged in settlements with the Crown and in interactions with agencies such as Department of Conservation, Ministry for the Environment, and Treasury. Over time the Forum developed practices for issuing communiqués and engaging with national inquiries including those led by the Royal Commission-style reviews and select committees in the New Zealand Parliament.

Structure and Membership

Membership comprises elected or mandated representatives from iwi authorities, rūnanga, and mandated collectives such as trusts established under settlement legislation like the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 trust structures. Participating entities have included iwi with statutory settlement entities (for example Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Kahungunu), urban Māori authorities such as Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and collectives representing hapū from regions including Tairāwhiti, Te Tai Tokerau, Waikato-Tainui, and Te Arawa. The Forum is typically chaired by a convenor selected from member chairs and operates through rotating hui hosted by iwi in locations including Rotorua, Wellington, Auckland, and Christchurch. Decision-making commonly relies on consensus among representatives rather than formal voting procedures, reflecting customary tikanga and rangatiratanga practices observed by groups such as Te Arawa and Ngāpuhi.

Roles and Functions

The Forum functions as a collective advisory and advocacy body that develops shared positions for submission to agencies and processes like Resource Management Act 1991 hearings, submissions to select committees of the New Zealand Parliament, and consultations with ministers such as those in Te Puni Kōkiri and the Ministry for the Environment. It provides a venue for coordination on issues including freshwater management affecting catchments like the Waikato River, co-management arrangements exemplified by agreements with Department of Conservation, and economic ventures involving entities such as Māori Television partners or partnerships with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. The Forum also facilitates information-sharing about litigation before forums like the High Court of New Zealand and the Environment Court, and strategic responses to international processes such as United Nations mechanisms including UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Key Initiatives and Policy Positions

The Forum has articulated positions on freshwater and land-use frameworks, submitting perspectives relevant to legislation following the recommendations of reviews like the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management. It has engaged with climate change policy shaped by reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and national frameworks such as the Zero Carbon Act debates. The Forum has supported iwi rights in relation to customary marine title as debated under the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011 and has pushed for settlement implementation commitments related to instruments like the Ngāi Tahu Settlement Act and obligations arising from Treaty settlements with Crown agencies including Te Puni Kōkiri and the Office of Treaty Settlements. Economic development initiatives have linked to regional projects involving councils such as Auckland Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council and corporate collaborations with entities like Fonterra and Māori Financial Services.

Relationships with Government and Other Entities

The Forum maintains engagement protocols with central agencies including Te Puni Kōkiri, Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and ministerial offices by way of formal hui, submissions, and memoranda of understanding. It interfaces with statutory bodies such as the Waitangi Tribunal and regional councils including Environment Canterbury over resource management, and collaborates or contests with Crown entities such as the Department of Conservation or commercial partners like KiwiRail where infrastructure projects affect iwi interests. The Forum also liaises with non-governmental organisations including Forest & Bird and international Indigenous networks like the Indigenous Environmental Network.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics have questioned the Forum’s representativeness vis-à-vis hapū and urban Māori organisations such as Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and community trusts, pointing to tensions similar to disputes seen in Ngāpuhi leadership debates and contestation around mandates during Treaty settlement negotiations. Some commentators have challenged the Forum’s consensus model when addressing contentious issues like freshwater allocation or co-governance proposals referenced in discussions around the Waikato River Act 2010 and regional councils. Allegations of insufficient transparency, internal rivalry reminiscent of disputes involving settlement entities such as Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua, and occasional public disagreements with ministers—paralleling clashes seen in interactions with figures like former ministers involved in treaty settlement portfolios—have generated media attention and parliamentary scrutiny.

Category:Māori politics