Policy – Te Tira Whakāmataki

Kaupapa Here | Policy Resources

Te Tira Whakamātaki dedicates time to shaping new environmental policy and challenging existing Crown policy, all grounded by the rights afforded by Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Government policy is relevant to our mahi in te taiao because it often dictates where the support, pūtea (money), and other resources will be directed which can make a huge difference in the success of biodiversity and biosecurity initiatives. It is especially relevant to Māori because policy is a key tool that the Crown wields to exercise control over te taiao and our taonga species.

Read more about why it is important to make submissions here.

Open Consultations | Have Your Say

Governments are rewriting the rules for our whenua, wai and moana faster than most of us can track. New bills, reforms and consultations open and close across a dozen different agencies, often with short windows and little notice.

The table below brings the ones that matter for te taiao and Te Tiriti into one place. That includes what’s open now, who’s asking, when submissions close, and where to have your say. Where we’ve made a submission, you’ll find it here too.

You don’t have to be an expert. A few clear sentences about what a change means for your whenua, wai and taonga is a submission worth making. Need a hand, or want us to support a collective submission from your rohe? Email admin@ttw.nz.

Share this with your iwi, hapū, marae and taiao teams. The more of us who submit, the harder these changes are to push through quietly

Consultation / Bill	Who’s asking	Closes	Have your say	TTW Submission
Testing the approach to National Policy Direction – feedback on the Illustrative National Policy Direction for the proposed new planning system, including priorities for resources, primary production and public values	Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport	16 October 2026	Have your say	–
Consultation on Auckland city centre planning provisions – proposed changes to Auckland Unitary Plan provisions affecting building heights, development capacity, heritage areas and city-centre development	Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport	16 October 2026	Have your say	–
Two mātaitai reserves, Whangārei Harbour and Bream Bay – applications for customary fishing management areas recognising the special relationship between tangata whenua and traditional fishing grounds	MPI / Fisheries New Zealand	16 October 2026	Have your say	–
Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve Review – review of the marine reserve’s ecological health, management and connections with Ngāti Konohi, iwi, hapū, whānau and the wider community	DOC / Ngāti Konohi	19 October 2026	Have your say	–
He Kawa Ora mō Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki – early comments to help shape the national park management plan for Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki and the future protection, restoration and management of the maunga	Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi / DOC	20 October 2026	Have your say	–
Proposed group standard for treated seed – proposals for regulating treated seed and managing risks from hazardous substances used in seed treatment, including imported seed	EPA	30 October 2026	Have your say	–
Proposed disposal of Conservation Area – Taupō Nursery – proposal to dispose of former native plant nursery land currently held as conservation area near Taupō	DOC	13 November 2026	Have your say	–
Proposed regulation on the prolonged confinement of dogs – proposed enforceable animal welfare rules to address dogs kept for prolonged periods in cages, kennels or other confined spaces	MPI	23 November 2026	Have your say	–
2026–27 review of the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act – feedback on whether competition provisions regulating Fonterra should be retained, repealed or amended	MPI	23 November 2026	Have your say	–
References to Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi Amendment Bills – joint consultation on three bills proposing changes to references to Te Tiriti o Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi in legislation	NZ Parliament	No formal date set; submissions encouraged by 1 December 2026	Submit	–
Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Claims Settlement Bill – bill to give effect to redress and settle the historical Treaty of Waitangi claims of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri	NZ Parliament	No closing date set	Submit	–
Rēkohu Wharekauri Shared Redress Bill – bill to give effect to shared redress relating to Moriori and Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri	NZ Parliament	No closing date set	Submit	–
Last updated: 11 October 2026

Note: We track the consultations that matter most for te taiao and Te Tiriti. For everything currently open across government, see:

Submissions

Te Tira Whakamātaki is acutely aware that while tāngata whenua engagement in policy development is a critical step in the revising outdated policy and, too often, that engagement is requested by the Crown with no resourcing or koha given in exchange for the time and knowledge freely given by Māori, particularly when it comes to writing submissions.

To help support our communities to ensure that their voices are heard, Te Tira Whakamātaki endeavours to freely share our policy resources and responses to proposed environmental policy on this page, so that any of our community members may take them as a starting point for their own response or to sign their name to if they agree with our position.

These policy submissions are free to use and we encourage you to take them and make them your own. They are categorised into past and open submissions (which can be used on bills that are currently open for consultation)

Kia kaha.

Submission on the proposed content of the first National Conservation Policy Statement

10 August 2026