3. Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi Volume One [R, C, D] 3.M.2 Recognising statutory acknowledgements The relevant trustees for an iwi must be provided with a summary of a resource consent application for an activity within, adjacent to, or directly affecting a statutory area. The Council must also have regard to the Statutory Acknowledgement relating to a statutory area when deciding whether the relevant trustees are affected persons in relation to an activity within, adjacent to, or directly affecting the statutory area and for which an application for resource consent is made. In some cases this will involve more than one iwi. The Council is also required to include information recording the statutory acknowledgements within its resource management documents. [RPS, R, C, D] 3.M.3 Consideration of iwi management plans Iwi management plans will be used and taken into account to: • assist in the identification of issues of resource management significance to Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi, including recognition of these issues through the Council’s decision-making functions; • provide cultural context and understanding of values underpinning the relationship between iwi and the environment; • understand, acknowledge and account for the importance of local knowledge and guidance about the environment; • assist in the determination of the nature and extent of consultation that may be required over particular activities or places of importance; • assist in the development of resource management policy; and • assist decision makers to make an informed decision with respect to a proposal or development of policy. [RPS, R, C, D] 3.M.4 Consultation Because only Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi can identify their relationship and that of their culture and traditions with their ancestral lands, water, sites, waahi tapu and other taonga, it is important that where a proposal is likely to affect the values of one or more of Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi, an applicant is expected to consult early in the development of the proposal. Where a Council officer is aware in preparing a report on a consent application or plan change, the circumstances of the application indicate that issues of cultural or spiritual significance to Māori may be present, consultation with the iwi who may be affected will occur. Consultation may result in the iwi advising that a cultural impact assessment or cultural values report is required. [RPS, R, C, D] 3.M.5 Cultural indicators Environmental monitoring involves measuring the state/condition of our natural and physical resources so that they can be understood and managed in an informed way. While environmental monitoring is not new to New Zealand, to date this Council has relied upon scientific indicators to determine the health of Marlborough's natural and physical resources. However, the use of cultural indicators, which is based upon human sensory perceptions and spiritual association, has long been used by Marlborough's tangata whenua iwi to determine the health (mauri) of the natural world. Cultural indicators can be used alongside existing scientific indicators to assist in our collective understanding of the health of our environment. The Council will work with 3 – 18