Te Kaupapa Here Whakaitinga Rēti mō ngā Whenua Māori Rates Remissions on Māori Land Policy

E tūtohi ana a Te Pane Matua Taiao ki te panoni i te Kaupapa Here Whakaitinga Rēti me Whakatārewa hoki mō ngā Whenua Māori Herekore. Ka kīia ko Te Kaupapa Here Whakaitinga Rēti mō ngā Whenua Māori.

E arotakehia ana e Te Pane Matua Taiao te kaupapa here nei i muri i ngā panonitanga ki te Ture Local Government 2002 me te Ture Local Government (Rating) 2002 i whakamanahia i te Hōngongoi 2021, e pāngia nuitia ana ki te rēti o ngā whenua Māori. Ko ngā panonitanga ki te kaupapa here kia tika i te wā iti nei, kia hāngai hoki ki ngā ture mō te rēti whenua Māori me ngā mātāpono o Te Ture Whenua Māori 1993, me te toro āwhina whānui ki te hunga whaipānga o ngā whenua Māori kia tiakina te whenua mō ngā whakatupuranga o te nāianei me te āpōpō.

Ahakoa ka pāngia tēnei kaupapa here ki te hunga whaipānga whenua Māori ki te rohe o Pōneke, ka whai wāhi mai ngā tāngata katoa o tō mātou hapori, ā, e pōwhiritia rātou ki te tuku whakaaro mō ēnei panonitanga ki te kaupapa here.

Hei tāpiri ki te arotake o tēnei kaupapa here, i whiriwhirihia e Te Pane Matua Taiao kia puritia tēnei kaupapa here, engari e whāia ana kia uiui haere me ngā panoni tūtohi kei tēnei pukapuka i te mea e hāngai ake ana ēnei ki te rautaki matua o te Kaunihera ki te whakatika ake i ngā hua mō te mana whenua me te Māori, tae noa ki te Rautaki Hua Māori kua whakaaetia e te Kaunihera.

Greater Wellington Regional Council (Greater Wellington) proposes to make changes to the Rates Remissions and Postponements on Māori Freehold Land Policy. This will become known as the Rates Remissions on Māori Land Policy.

Greater Wellington is reviewing the policy following changes to the Local Government Act 2002 and Local Government (Rating) Act 2002 that took effect in July 2021, which included significant changes to the rating of whenua Māori. The proposed changes to the policy will ensure it is up to date and compliant with the legislation for rating of whenua Māori and the principles of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, and offer wider support to owners of whenua Māori to look after the whenua for current and future generations.

While this policy particularly affects Māori landowners in the Wellington region, everyone in our community may have an interest and is invited to provide a submission on the proposed changes to the policy.

As part of the review of this policy, Greater Wellington has considered the option of retaining the existing policy and has decided instead to consult on the proposed changes in this document as these better align with Council’s strategic priority of improving outcomes for mana whenua and Māori, and with Council’s adopted Māori Outcomes Framework.

Ko ngā mea kia mōhio ai koe

He aha te Kaupapa Here Whakaitinga Rēti mō ngā Whenua Māori?

Katoa ngā kaunihera me whai kaupapa here e pā ana ki te whakaitinga, whakatārewa hoki i ngā rēti mō ngā whenua Māori herekore. Kei tēnei kaupapa here e takoto ana ngā paearu ka whakamahia e Te Pane Matua Taiao ki te whiriwhiri i ngā tono kia whakaitihia, kia whakatārewatia hoki ki runga i ngā whenua Māori herekore i te rohe.

Ko te whakaitinga rēti nei, ko te whakaaetanga o te Kaunihera ki te hiki i te kawenga ki te utu rēti ki runga i tētehi whenua i tētehi tau pūtea. Ko te whakatārewatanga nei, ko te whakaaetanga o te Kaunihera ki te putu i ngā nama o te whenua i tētehi tau pūtea kia utua hei te wā heke.

What you need to know

What is the Rates Remissions on Māori Land Policy?

All councils are required to have a policy on rates remissions and postponements on Māori freehold land. This policy sets out the criteria under which Greater Wellington will consider applications for remissions and postponements on Māori freehold land in the region.

A rates remission is when Council agrees to waive the obligation to pay rates on a property in a particular financial year. A postponement is when Council agrees that rates for a particular financial year can accumulate against the property to be paid in the future.

He aha ngā panonitanga?

I muri mai i ngā panonitanga ki te Ture Local Government (Rating) i te Hōngongoi 2021, ko ngā whenua Māori herekore i māraurau o mua mō te whakaitinga rēti, ka huri hei whenua rēti kore i te mea kāore i te whakamahia. E mea ana, kāore e namahia rēti te whenua, nā reira kāore he take ki te tono whakaitinga rēti.

E tūtohi ana Te Pane Matua Taiao ki te whiriwhiri i ngā tono whakaitinga ki runga i te whenua Māori kāore e mau taitara whenua Māori herekore, ki ēnei whakaritenga:

• Ki te whenua i whakawhiti hei taitara herekore Māori ki te taitara whānui nā te whakahau whakawhiti i raro i te Ture Māori Affairs Amendment 1967
• Ki ngā whenua i whakahokia e ngā whakataunga Tiriti; ā,
  • Kāore i te whai whakahokinga arumoni; ā,
  • Kāore i utua e te Karauna ngā rēti whenua i mua i te whakawhitinga ki ngā whaipānga Māori
• Ki te whenua e mau taitara whānui ana e whaipāngahia ana e te Māori e whakatutuki ana i ngā paearu o te kaupapa here
• Ki ngā whenua Māori e whakatupuria ana, e mau taitara whānui ana

E tūtohi ana hoki mātou ki te panoni i te whakahaeretanga o te kaupapa here:

• Kia whakarahi ake i te roanga o ngā whakaitinga mai i te kotahi tau ki ngā tau e toru
• Kia whakakore ake i te whakatārewatanga rēti i runga i ngā whenua Māori mai i te kaupapa here

Kei tēnei pukapuka uiuinga tētehi tirohanga whānui o ngā panonitanga e tūtohia ana, he aha hoki e pēnei ai me ētehi tauira o te whakatinanatanga o ēnei mahinga. E akiaki ana mātou i a koe kia pānuitia katoatia te kaupapa here me tēnei pukapuka i mua i tō tono mai.

What’s changing?

Following the changes to the Local Government (Rating) Act in July 2021, many of the Māori freehold land properties which previously would have been eligible for a rates remission are now treated as non-rateable as the land is unused. This means that rates are not charged against the property in the first instance so no remission needs to be applied for.

Greater Wellington is proposing to consider applications for remissions on whenua Māori that is not in Māori freehold title, in the following areas:

• Land converted from Māori freehold title to general title by a status order change under the Māori Affairs Amendment Act 1967
• Land returned through Treaty settlements, where:
  • The land is not generating a commercial return; and
  • The Crown had not been paying rates on the land prior to its transfer to Māori ownership
• Land in general title owned collectively by Māori that meets the criteria of the policy
• Māori land under development that is in general title

We are also proposing changes to administration of the policy:

• Extending the duration of remissions granted from one year to three years
• Removing postponement of rates on Māori land from the policy

This consultation document includes an overview of the proposed changes, why the changes are being proposed and some examples of what this might mean in practice. We encourage you to read the full policy as well as this document before making a submission

E tono atu ana ki a koe kia Kōrero Mai

Me whakarite kia tuku atu i tō tono i mua i te 5pm Rāhina 2 o Haratua 2022.

We invite you to Have Your Say

Be sure to get your submission in before 5pm Monday 2 May 2022.