Volume One 3. Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi to work in a collaborative manner with the common purpose of promoting the health and wellbeing of the rivers and freshwater within the jurisdiction of the relevant councils. In undertaking its work, the Advisory Committee will be respectful and operate in a manner that recognises that while some resource management issues will be of generic interest to all iwi with interests in Te Tau Ihu, other issues may be of interest primarily to particular iwi. As recorded in the relevant Deed and legislation, Ngā ti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu have statutory acknowledgements within Marlborough. Prior to the Settlement, the Council understood that the rohe of Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu was fully within the Nelson/Tasman region. It is acknowledged that Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu is not referred to in Chapter 3 of the MEP as the iwi has not been part of the consultation process. However, it is recognised that Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu is one of the Te Tau Ihu iwi and therefore will be part of the Council - Te Tau Ihu iwi relationship in the future. Understanding the iwi resource management framework The Māori world view The environmental management system of Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi has been developed over many centuries and has been exercised by numerous generations. It is still practiced today and is recognised in the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Of fundamental significance to this management philosophy is the Māori view of the natural world and its origins. The underlying principles arising from this view guide all interaction with the environment. Iwi/ha pū traditions discuss the origins of the universe as being with Io who dwelt in Te Korekore. Io created various realms, such as the numerous Pō, which lasted for eons. Ranginui (the sky father) and Pa patūānuku (the earth mother) emerged from these realms and had some 70 children, all of whom were Atua (Departmental Gods). The children of Ranginui and Pa patūānu ku created various domains in Te Ao Mārama, the world between earth and sky. Within these domains everything in the natural world was created. Hence, the tangata whenua view of reality is that the world is constructed of interrelated and interconnected domains of Atua. Iwi/ha pū traditions concerning the creation of the universe recount the emergence of the physical reality (taha tinana), but also the creation of the intellectual plane (taha hinengaro), the family plane (taha whānau) and, most importantly, the spiritual realm (taha wairua), which is present in all things. The children of Ranginui and Papatūānu ku breathed life or mauri, which originated from Io, into their various domains. These children became the Atua of these domains and created the plants and animals within. They are the original kaitiaki or guardians of the domains. The authority of the Atua (mana Atua), which allows them to be kaitiaki, is handed down through whakapapa (genealogy). Mana is passed from Io to Ranginui and Papatūānuku, then to the Atua. All things in the universe are interconnected through whakapapa. Some of these Atua and their domains include: • Papatūānu ku (land) • Ranginui (sky) • Tāne Mahuta (forests) • Tangaroa (sea) • Rūaumoko (earthquakes) • Tāwhirimatea (winds) Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi do not see their existence as separate from Te Ao Tūroa (the natural world), but an integral part of it. Through whakapapa, all people and life forms descend from a common source. Whakapapa binds each iwi to the mountains, forests and waters and the life supported by them, and this is reflected in traditional attitudes towards the natural world and resource management. Whanaungatanga embraces whakapapa through the relationships between people and between people and the environment. The nature of these relationships 3 – 3