Tā Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau Whakamauru i te Tipu Riha mā ngā Ara Taiao – Te Toro ki ngā Mana Whenua

Auckland Council pest plant biological control – Mana whenua engagement

Executive summary

Auckland Council operates a biocontrol programme to help control widespread pest plant species in the Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland region. Auckland Council has obligations to Ngā Iwi Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau that historically have not been met by the biocontrol programme’s Māori engagement. The purpose of this report was to support Auckland Council to engage meaningfully with mana whenua about the biocontrol programme by providing an overview of existing Māori engagement and perspectives on biocontrol across national and regional scales.

Engagement at the national level

Engagement with Māori about biocontrol at the national level primarily occurs through the process of applying to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to introduce biocontrol agents into the country. The EPA has many systems in place to ensure that Māori perspectives are included in the application process. However, a review of the literature and documentation associated with the process indicated that there are consistent issues with Māori engagement about biocontrol at the national level.

Key concerns identified were non-response of Māori to pre-lodgement engagement and calls for submissions, lack of mana whenua capacity and competing demands, limited local engagement beyond the release site, lack of Māori involvement at an early enough stage in the process, and limited availability and accessibility of information. Some efforts to address these concerns are already underway and require the collaborative participation of multiple agencies involved in the biocontrol process.

Through national engagement processes Māori respondents raised concerns over the potential implications of biocontrol for important cultural aspects such as kaitiakitanga, whakapapa, and taonga. Key concerns were also raised around non-target impacts, past failures, lack of confidence in research and monitoring, and the introduction of more exotic species into the environment. These concerns highlight the importance of ensuring that Māori perspectives are considered in the biocontrol process and that meaningful engagement occurs early in the process as well as at the proposed place of release, while noting that there is no singular Māori view on biocontrol, with each iwi, hapū, and whānau possessing a different perspective [17].

Engagement at the regional level

Engagement with Māori about biocontrol at the regional level generally occurs through regional councils/unitary authorities. As delegates of the Crown, regional councils/unitary authorities have general obligations towards Māori, but there are no universal processes or expectations specifically regarding Māori engagement about biocontrol at the regional level. A survey of the regional councils/unitary authorities in the Biosecurity Working Group indicated that the regional approach to Māori engagement around biocontrol is ad hoc. Most councils will engage with all iwi in their region when acting as the main applicant in the EPA process for bringing new biocontrol agents into the country. However, when intending to release new agents into their region very few councils engage with all iwi, focusing instead on iwi or hapū whose rohe covers the proposed release site. Very limited engagement occurs around releases of agents already present in the region, with only a couple of councils engaging with Māori groups in such instances.

Given the issues surrounding Māori engagement around biocontrol at the national level and the ad hoc nature of engagement at the regional level, it is therefore entirely possible for an agent to be released into the rohe of a particular iwi/hapū without any engagement with that iwi or hapū having taken place. Many councils are aware of the inadequacy of their past engagement with Māori around biocontrol and are currently seeking to improve their practices for the future.

Engagement with the mana whenua of Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland

Engagement with the Ngā Iwi Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland about biocontrol has historically been ad hoc. Recognising the need for improved engagement, Auckland Council undertook a series of semi-structured interviews with mana whenua representatives from 18 of the 19 recognised mana whenua entities in the region. Each interview explored the mana whenua representative’s opinions on and experiences with pests, pest plant management, and biocontrol.

While representatives held a variety of views, there was a general aversion to using herbicides for pest plant control, along with limited experience or understanding of Western approaches to biocontrol, and a lack of comfort in the use of biocontrol. Concerns were raised about the potential for biocontrol agents to negatively impact taonga, the surrounding environment, tikanga ā-iwi/ā-hapū, and whakapapa, as well as the lack of indigenous involvement in the process and the extensiveness of the scientific testing and monitoring regime.

Many of the mana whenua representatives interviewed expressed that Auckland Council and/or other agencies had failed to adequately engage with mana whenua about biocontrol. Evidence of the lack of engagement was seen in the lack of knowledge and awareness of biocontrol and its use in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland among many of the mana whenua representatives. Moving forward, mana whenua representatives wanted better communication and relationship building incorporated into the biocontrol programme. Several mana whenua representatives also expressed a desire for opportunities to train and be actively involved in the biocontrol space.

The following recommendations are suggested to guide future biocontrol delivery by Auckland Council:

• Mana whenua will be made aware of any releases of biocontrol agents within their rohe that have occurred in the past, and all subsequent monitoring that has occurred.
• All releases should be preceded by engagement with the mana whenua in whose rohe the release is proposed to take place and should not go ahead if that mana whenua is opposed to the release. Engagement should address accompanying tikanga for the release as well.
• Following releases, regular updates should be provided to the mana whenua in whose rohe the release was made, to provide information on the agent’s establishment, spread, and impact.
• Auckland Council should identify and pursue opportunities for active mana whenua involvement and learning in the biocontrol process and in general pest plant management, and support Māori-led initiatives exploring the cultural implications of pest plant biocontrol.
• Auckland Council should seek mana whenua input to identify pest plant species to prioritise for biocontrol development.
• Auckland Council should look for opportunities to facilitate better engagement between mana whenua and other agencies involved in biocontrol, such as Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research and neighbouring regional councils, including advocating for involvement of tangata whenua early in the agent prioritisation process and development of guidance for engagement.

Conclusion

There are issues in the current state of Māori engagement about biocontrol at both national and regional levels. The ad hoc nature and limited reach of historic engagement around biocontrol have led to a lack of Māori perspectives informing biocontrol process at the national scale and a lack of mana whenua knowledge and awareness of biocontrol processes at a regional scale.

Meaningful engagement with Māori around biocontrol is important, both because of the various obligations the agencies involved in biocontrol have towards Māori, and also because the use of biocontrol consistently raises concerns among Māori. For many Māori, biocontrol is a new kaupapa, and they are unfamiliar with the concepts and outcomes of its use. Investing in opportunities to further Māori understanding of and involvement in the biocontrol process is necessary to address concerns brought up around the use of biocontrol and support Māori to make well-informed decisions on whether they support or oppose it.

Historically, Auckland Council’s biocontrol programme has involved limited engagement with the mana whenua of the region. Moving forward, Auckland Council will improve their engagement with Ngā Iwi Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau by focusing on building strong relationships, communicating clearly and consistently, and actively involving them in all stages of the biocontrol process. In doing so, Auckland Council has the opportunity to model and advocate for improvements to be made at the national level and in other regions, so that Māori are more adequately engaged in the biocontrol process across Aotearoa / New Zealand.

Auckland Council technical report, TR2025/30

December 2025