This page relates to the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme.
This is the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) policy on engaging with Māori in relation to an activity proposed for funding out of the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF).
Date of issue: December 2021 │ Updated August 2023 | NZTA may review and amend investment policies at any time, including in response to any changes in the Government Policy Statement on land transport.
To ensure that engagement with Māori fosters partnership in NLTF investment decision making.
NZTA and approved organisations enable opportunities to partner with Māori when delivering transport solutions. This includes Māori engagement in investment decision-making processes.
We (NZTA as investor) expect NZTA (for its own activities) and all approved organisations seeking funding from the NLTF to appropriately engage with Māori in respect of a proposed transport activity.
Hononga ki te Iwi, the NZTA Māori engagement framework, outlines our approach to planning appropriate engagement with Māori. An approved organisation partnering with hapū and iwi within their own district or region may use our framework or a tailored engagement framework that better reflects the unique circumstances of the area.
The NLTF can be applied to costs of engagement, including Māori resourcing the engagement.
Hononga ki te Iwi – our Māori engagement framework
The Crown is responsible for taking appropriate account of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Treaty of Waitangi. We invest the NLTF in our capacity as a Crown entity. This policy is set in the context of obligations under the Land Transport Management Act 2003 and in accordance with Te Ara Kotahi, the NZTA Māori strategy.
Land Transport Management Act 2003(external link)
Te Ara Kotahi provides strategic direction on how we work with and respond to Māori as the Crown’s Treaty partner, and what this means for how we do business. This includes times where NZTA plays multiple roles, such as when assessing requests for funding from the NLTF for its own activities and when we are assessing requests from approved organisations.
NZTA (for its own activities) and approved organisations are required to engage with Māori under relevant legislation and rules, including the Land Transport Management Act 2003, Land Transport rules, Resource Management Act 1991 and the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011.
This investment policy is one mechanism by which we provide opportunities for Māori to contribute to transport decision-making processes and foster the development of Māori capacity to contribute to these processes, pursuant to statutory obligations including section 18H of the Land Transport Management Act 2003.
It applies in addition to the requirements under section 18G of the Land Transport Management Act for NZTA (for its own activities) or an approved organisation to consult with Māori in relation to a proposed activity that affects or is likely to affect Māori land, or land subject to any Māori claims settlement act or Māori historical, cultural, or spiritual interests.
Hononga ki te Iwi is the supporting document to this policy and informs the interpretation of this policy in relation to appropriate engagement with Māori. This provides guidance to NZTA (for its own activities) on the different ways to engage with Māori. An approved organisation may follow its own guidance on engagement, as long as it meets a reasonable equivalent of appropriate engagement.
Māori and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
