Settlements
The Department plays a full and active role in the Treaty settlements process which is led on the government side by the Office of Treaty Settlements. Given the particular importance of the land and other natural resources administered by the Department to Māori, the Department is included as a member of each Crown negotiating team.
The Department's participation in Crown negotiating teams relates mainly to what is termed 'cultural redress' as opposed to other key aspects of settlements such as financial and commercial redress or the Crown's apology. The Department manages its input into the Treaty settlements process through the Policy Group within its National Office in Wellington.
Conservation redress is an integral part of settlements. A range of instruments has been developed to address various Māori interests in areas of public conservation land including transferring ownership of individual areas of high cultural significance, and mechanisms to involve and recognise tangata whenua in the Department's management activities. In considering redress options, the Department seeks to protect natural values and where appropriate, public access to enjoy them as well. Generally, the cultural redress package developed for the Ngāi Tahu settlement continues to provide the framework for addressing cultural elements of settlements.