Treaty settlements and local government

The right of local authorities to make the final decisions on natural resource management has been confirmed by Cabinet.   Recently Cabinet reported back on their decisions  in regard to Treaty settlements and the implications they have for local authorities.

Two key principles were endorsed:

• that final decision-making should remain with local authorities
• that local authorities must be engaged in the negotiation process from an early stage.

The process to get to this stage, from initial work by the  LGNZ  Regional Affairs Committee to discussions with government departments and final decisions from Cabinet has taken some time, and LGNZ is grateful for the hard work and support of Minister Hide.

Unfortunately, the Cabinet decisions do not yet resolve the matter of costs.  A key principle sought by LGNZ is that new or additional local authority costs of negotiation or implementation should be met by the Crown.  This matter is still being discussed and it is hoped  we  can report  on  progress in early 2011.

For more information read the full Cabinet decisions.

Posted 13 December 2010