Tainui unleashes scathing attack on Govt after river protection rules halted
The Tainui iwi has criticized the New Zealand government for pausing farming regulations intended to protect the Waikato River. The government argues the pause is necessary to reduce costs for farmers and align with broader resource management reforms.
Why it matters
The conflict highlights the tension between environmental protection, Treaty of Waitangi obligations, and economic policy in New Zealand.
Tainui chair Tuku Morgan and Shane Jones (inset). Photo / Supplied
One of the country’s largest iwi is “deeply upset” the Government is pausing farming provisions that took 14 years to design and would have helped protect the already degrading Waikato River.
Tainui said the halting of several provisions under Plan Change 1 (PC1), a set of farming regulations designed to protect the Waikato River, was a “complete and total betrayal” that breached its Treaty settlement.
The PC1 provisions have been paused until 2032, when new plans under the major Resource Management Act reforms are expected to be in place. The paused provisions include requiring farmers to develop farm environment plans and requiring some farmers to obtain resource consents to continue operating.
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