Ngāti Porou calls for scrutiny of Gisborne District Council forestry record

An iwi is calling on Gisborne District Council to acknowledge historic shortcomings in how it has handled the district's forestry industry.

An independent assurance review chaired by Christopher Finlayson, KC, found no evidence that anti-forestry sentiment was driving Gisborne District Council decisions or pushing companies away.

The panel found the council's regulatory approach had evolved in recent years, with its decisions appropriate to the region's downstream and high erosion risks.

However, the panel acknowledged the council had previously "expended little effort on monitoring and enforcement" before strengthening its capability, monitoring, enforcement, consent conditions and technical oversight in 2018.

Te Rūnanganui o Ngāti Porou (TRONP) interim chief executive Henare Walker said the council could not "claim a clean bill of health" while historic regulatory performance and current issues were unresolved.

Walker said historic shortcomings needed a deeper examination.

"Council is making regulatory decisions with significant consequences for Ngāti Porou whenua and landowners. The regulator needs to acknowledge the role it has played in the long history of poor land-use outcomes in our rohe, and then we need to all move forward."

The panel found the Crown's historical involvement in regional forestry meant greater support was needed beyond appointing facilitator Doug Leeder.

Walker said arguments over responsibility were leaving landowners and communities dealing with the consequences.

"We need local and central government working with us on solutions, not pointing at each other."

Ngāti Porou needed a leadership role in determining the direction, priorities and success of work on slash discharge and land-use transition, he said.

"We cannot keep dealing with this one consent, one clean-up or one programme at a time. We need to be thinking about what we want our whenua and our rohe to look like in 30, 50 or 100 years, and making decisions now that take us towards that future."

A meeting is scheduled between TRONP and council representatives on November 30.

Council chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann said the council accepted the historic shortcomings outlined in the report but the review also provided an opportunity to distinguish past performance from current regulatory improvements.

"Council acknowledges its own historical shortcomings but the independent review has also confirmed how significantly our regulatory approach has improved.

"There is little to be gained from continuing to debate who was responsible for the past unless that helps us make better decisions for the future. What matters now is that everyone takes responsibility for their part in the solution."

Decisions made over decades by governments, regulators, landowners and industry had contributed to the region's current environmental challenges, she said.

"We have an opportunity to move beyond blame and focus on the practical changes, investment and collective leadership needed to protect our communities and secure a sustainable economic future for Tairāwhiti."

Work on several recommendations, including additional forestry expertise, clearer application processes and guidance, and stronger engagement with the forestry sector, had begun, she said.

A co-ordinated implementation plan was being developed, with further information expected in the coming weeks.

Thatcher Swann said the findings reinforced that many of the region's challenges could not be resolved through council regulation alone.

"This is bigger than consenting. We need to address the legacy risks associated with existing forests, enable safe harvesting where appropriate, transition our most vulnerable land and support a viable forestry and wood-processing sector.

"The panel has identified challenges that require more than changes to council's regulatory processes. They require leadership, investment and action from central government, industry, landowners and regional partners."

The council would make improvements within its control but needed the same commitment from other parties, she said.

The council was working with central government, TRONP and regional partners through the newly established Tairāwhiti Transition Action Group to support long-term land-use transition.

Thatcher Swann said iwi, hapū and Māori landowners had an important role in shaping the region's future.

"The challenge now is to turn collective discussions into practical decisions, investment and action."

The review panel was due to meet with the council and other stakeholders this week to work through its findings and recommendations.