Taranaki Regional Council Backs Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi in Collaborative Maunga Management Plan

A landmark collaborative effort to manage Te Papa-kura-o-Taranaki is entering its next phase as the Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) signals its support for the new management board, Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi. On Tuesday, the council confirmed its feedback for He Kawa Ora, a management plan being developed to protect and restore Taranaki Maunga and its surrounding lands following the 2025 redress law that granted the area legal personhood as Te Kāhui Tupua. Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi, which recently completed a two-month public engagement period, has held 55 meetings with iwi, hapū, conservation groups, and schools to determine the future of the national park. Te Ao Māori News reports that planners Sean Zieltjes and Laura Buttimore have been appointed to coordinate the drafting of He Kawa Ora over the upcoming summer months. The plan will serve as a foundational document for how the park is accessed, used, and restored under its new legal status. In a positive step toward regional cooperation, the TRC has offered to share its hydrological, meteorological, and water quality data with the planning team. The council’s formal comment highlighted an opportunity to connect cultural and environmental outcomes with regional spatial planning. This includes ongoing biosecurity and biodiversity efforts, as well as essential monitoring of volcanic and seismic risks. The TRC staff noted that the simultaneous development of He Kawa Ora and regional resource management reforms creates a unique chance to align conservation and community goals. Council leadership emphasized that any future arrangements must respect and complement the Treaty settlement obligations of the eight iwi of Taranaki. The draft plan is expected to be publicly notified for formal consultation in June, requiring final joint approval from the Minister of Conservation and the iwi-led governance board, Te Tōpuni Ngārahu.