22 June 2004
Barry Winfield
Senior Advisor
Crown Minerals
Ministry of Economic Development
PO Box 1473
WELLINGTON
Dear Mr Winfield
Te
Rununga o Ngai Tahu - Applications to mine pounamu.
On behalf of the Ministry, can you please provide me with answers to the following questions?
1. Have the Crown ever entered into any agreement with Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu or any other party, that would give the owners of the pounamu minerals a legal responsibility, or a transitional obligation to allocate mining or access rights, subject to the provisions of the Ngai Tahu (Pounamu Vesting) Act 1997?
2. The Ngai Tahu (Pounamu Vesting) Bill stated that the Crown determined that it is quite appropriate that those seeking to extract pounamu in the future on the expiry of their existing rights, should be required to apply to Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu.
Letters to me, since 1996, from the Ministry and the Minister have also stated that I should apply to Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu not the Crown. I note there is no transitional provision within the vesting Act to this effect.
Can you please advise me if Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu have yet formulated a policy on any applications as such? They had not since I last contacted them.
3. Can you please inform me if Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu or anyone else who has been granted authority to them, have applied to the appropriate Minister for any access arrangements in relation to pounamu minerals since the enactment and amendments of the Crown Minerals Act 1991?
Yours faithfully
See reply here from
Crown Minerals