Environment Canterbury considers new strategy and mana whenua partnership agreements

Environment Canterbury’s Strategy and Policy Committee will consider two significant items that will help guide future direction and strengthen the way we work alongside mana whenua when it meets on Wednesday. 

Proposed strategic direction for Environment Canterbury

Councillors will consider endorsing a refreshed Strategic Direction before it goes to Council for adoption on 22 July.

The updated strategic direction has been developed through a series of councillor workshops and responds to a changing environment for local government, including reform, economic pressures, climate-related challenges and advances in technology.

If adopted, it will provide the framework for Council decision-making, organisational priorities and development of the Long-Term Plan 2027–37, while also helping guide engagement with communities, partners and stakeholders.

Read our current Strategic Direction

Proposed partnership agreement with Ngāi Tahu

The Committee will also consider recommending a draft Mana Whakahono ā Rohe (MWāR) agreement to Council for ratification. The agreement follows a formal invitation from Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, on behalf of participating Papatipu Rūnanga, under the Resource Management Act.

A MWāR is a statutory agreement that sets out how councils and mana whenua work together on resource management matters. The proposed agreement builds on Environment Canterbury's existing Tiriti partnership commitments and the Tuia Agreement, rather than replacing them. It provides statutory recognition of existing ways of working and helps ensure those arrangements continue through future resource management reforms.

What happens after the meeting?

If endorsed by the Committee, both items will go to Council on 22 July for final consideration.

The Strategic Direction would become the organisation's guiding framework for future planning and decision-making, while the MWāR would formalise existing partnership arrangements with mana whenua in relation to resource management matters.