Energy for Māori
This project assists Māori authorities in developing their immense energy resource potential, for the benefit of Māori and New Zealand. In particular we are researching how Māori can evaluate resources and apply best practice social and corporate governance.
The Problem
Māori Trusts and Incorporations under the Te Ture Whenua Act (1993) account for approximately 6% of New Zealand’s land area, with significant hydro, wind, geothermal, biomass, and coal resources. These resources are of immense strategic value to New Zealand, and could contribute to national sustainability and the Kyoto protocol commitments. At present, Māori have a low level of activity in the energy sector and there is a great deal of unrealised potential. Māori authorities normally don’t have specific expertise in energy engineering, and so find it difficult to judge the potential value of their resource. Māori authorities are also unfamiliar with energy investments, and their governance systems have not been structured to deal with this type of investment. Consequently, the two primary barriers to development of these resources are considered to be:
- Lack of understanding of resource value
- Limited / poor governance practice.
The Solution
NIWA, in collaboration with the University of Auckland, are undertaking collaborative action research on energy resources with three Māori authorities in the Taupo area. The aims of the research are to:
We reviewed literature on resource valuation and best practice governance principles and then worked with iwi to identify how to apply best practice to their particular situations. From this, we produced two reports. The first was aimed at enabling Māori authorities to best develop their energy asset. The second report supported the development of a software tool that enables Māori authorities to undertake a basic resource evaluation and pre-feasibility study of their energy resources.
The Result
To date, the Energy for Māori project has made good progress with both governance and resource valuation studies, and progression of pilot studies. In particular, the Māori authorities which participated in the project have shared governance experiences and extended whanaungatanga (a relationship developed through working together) with Te Kūwaha (NIWA’s Māori Environmental Research Group) and the University of Auckland. A literature review of pertinent Māori governance systems was completed, and is now being reviewed by participating Māori authorities. A literature review of resource valuation models was undertaken and is now being adapted to reflect the sample cases being considered for this project. The project has made particularly good progress with developing plans for a wind farm with the Kaimanawa Trust. We organised a field visit to Windflow’s turbine manufacturing facilities which gave trustees a better picture of the technology and scale involved in the proposed project, and spurred the trustees to pursue this endeavour. Our relationships with participating communities continue to strengthen, and feedback regarding the project from the Federation of Māori Authorities (FOMA) conference was positive.
A Māori Authority on a site visit, to learn about the costs and operations of wind farms.
Quick facts
Location: National
National Centre: Energy, Te Kūwaha
Equipment used:
People involved: Rilke de Vos, Andreas Hamm