Volume One 3. Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi Principles of good consultation have been established over time and should be followed to achieve the best possible outcome for all parties. These principles state that: • consultation should be undertaken prior to lodging of any application; • all parties need to enter into consultation with an open mind; • reasonable time must be provided by the applicant to allow the consulted party to respond with queries or concerns from which the applicant can modify their proposal if appropriate; • the consulted party needs to be adequately informed (through the provision of all relevant information and any other information reasonably requested) in order to make a useful response; and • consultation is by its very nature a two-way process, which means that the applicant must take due notice of what has been said by the consulted party. Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi accept that consultation will not necessarily guarantee an agreement with the resource consent/plan change applicant. However, they believe that consultation is required to ensure identification and quantification of all potential effects of a proposal on the interests of an iwi authority. Issue 3I – Capacity of iwi to be able to effectively take part in resource consent processing and policy development. Even if mechanisms were put in place to enable greater participation in resource management decision making by Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi, the iwi believe that a significant barrier to participation remains: that is, the capacity to participate. Many of Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi have limited financial resources and limited numbers 'on the ground' in terms of iwi members participating in resource management processes. It is therefore the view of most iwi that they do not currently have the capacity to effectively take part in the two processes that they have the greatest interest in - resource consent processing and policy development. The response of each iwi therefore varies, with some focussing on the iwi management plans, some establishing strong resources for consultation and response to applications for resource consent and others focussing on involvement in policy development. The importance of recognising these varying abilities and approaches will enable selection of the most effective method or methods of obtaining an understanding of the values of iwi and providing for their involvement in resource management procedures affecting their rohe. Issue 3J – Cross boundary issues with an overlap in rohe of Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi. The rohe, or tribal boundary of each of Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi has changed over time as a result of migration and occupation. This situation has stabilised and each iwi has a good understanding of their current rohe. In many cases, the respective rohe overlap. This makes it difficult for the Council and others (such as resource consent applicants) to establish who exercises kaitiakitanga in a particular area. This can lead to iwi not being consulted as they should be or, conversely, being consulted when they do not need to be. This can cause frustration for all involved in resource management processes, including the iwi authorities. Rohe do not coincide with local government boundaries. This means that the rohe of a number of Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi extends beyond the boundaries of the Council. In these circumstances, the iwi must deal with more than one local authority. This can be problematic where the local authorities concerned perform RMA functions and undertake RMA processes in different ways. This can force each iwi to adjust the way they participate in and provide an input to RMA processes. 3 – 13