What you need to know if you are invited to work with a convener or panel
If your Iwi, hapū, marae, and other Māori group is based in the rohe relevant to a Fast-track application, you may be invited to take part in the panel process. This includes groups identified in the Report on Treaty settlements and other obligations, prepared by the Hekeretari mō te Taiao (Secretary for the Environment) under section 18 of the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024.
You may also be invited by a panel convener to attend a Convener Conference held before a panel is set up, to discuss issues that may inform the appointment of panel members and the timing of the panel decision. If this happens, your costs to attend may be recoverable. Those costs must be reasonable and in proportion to the functions of the particular conference.
Once a panel is convened, the ability to recover costs from Fast-track applicants is limited to the contribution fee payment available to Māori consultation groups described in the Regulations.
More information on contribution fees
How panels engage with Māori groups
Direct engagement with Māori groups – initiated by a panel convener or expert panel – can help inform the panel’s decisions on substantive applications.
To support this process, the panel conveners have developed practical guidance for participants, including panel members. This guidance suggests panels should consider mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), tikanga (customs), and matters of significance to Māori as part of their decision-making.
Mātauranga and tikanga
When asked to comment on applications, panel conveners encourage panels to seek Māori input on:
what’s important to your iwi, hapū, and whānau
whether the application reflects mātauranga Māori in a way that respects tikanga
how it aligns with Treaty settlement obligations and mana tuku iho (customary rights), such as those under the Takutai Moana Act and Ngā Rohe Moana o Ngāti Porou Act
how Māori concerns can be addressed through consent conditions and management plans.
Cultural considerations
Panel conveners encourage panels to consider tikanga Māori in how they work. This might include:
acknowledging tikanga during hearings and hui
accepting evidence in te reo Māori, with interpreters available
opening hearings or site visits with karakia
holding hearings on marae and respecting kawa and tikanga.
Expert conferencing and joint discussions
Panels may hold expert conferencing and joint discussions with participants. This may include bringing together experts in science and mātauranga Māori to support well-rounded decision-making. These hui may be co-led by someone with deep knowledge of tikanga Māori to ensure cultural integrity.
Site visits
Panels may make site visits to important places, including to wāhi tapu, and follow appropriate tikanga during these visits.
Mediation
If there are disputes, whakawāwā (mediation) may be used. Māori participants will help shape how mediation works, including how tikanga is woven into the process.
Transparency and feedback
Māori groups will be able to provide feedback on:
who is chosen as mātanga (experts)
what their role should include.
Panels will consider tika o ngā tukanga (procedural fairness) and Mārama (transparency) in all engagement with Māori.
This approach reflects that Māori knowledge, values and choices are respected throughout the Fast-track decision-making process – supporting the outcomes that honour the whenua, wai and taonga perspectives and values.