Julian Williams posted the following onto LinkedIn:

 

• What is your organisation doing to give effect to “Te mana o te Wai” apart from sharing its expression on your website?

 

• Are you thinking deeply about its implementation in your use of water, because I’ve seen a lot of copy and paste words on industry websites?

 

• Iwi Maaori don’t have all the answers, so when the government says go talk to Maori, are you prepared with the right questions, have you thought about your impact on wai, are you ready for the response, because we will be setting the bar high.

 

• Te mana o te wai means all your decisions must be subject to her health and well-being. It means respecting water while in your care, in your domain of responsibilty.

 

• Do you understand that wai and Maaori are connected through whakapapa?

 

• Are you willing to shift your current extraction or discharge point because it’s offensive to Iwi Maaori, who had limited say in its designation?

 

• Will you ask mana whenua for temporary approval for an existing designation?

 

• Are you treating discharges to the best of your ability so we don’t have to sacrifice a stretch of the river to allow further mixing?

 

• Do you know the historic significance of your areas and how are you acknowledging or expressing that significance?

 

• Are you communicating appropriately and effectively with mana whenua so that they can communicate effectively with their people, and uphold their mana?

 

• What is your Koha to the waters you use?

 

• Please do more than paste the definition into your statement of intent and website. That is not enough!!!!

 

My response to this list of questions is:

 

1. What gives him the right to ask me, or anyone else for that matter, this list of questions?

 

2. Why should I, or others, need to take notice of where Iwi Maaori want to“set the bar”?

 

3. Why should I, or others, need to demonstrate understanding of Maori mythological beliefs?

 

4. Why should I, or others, need to ask Mana Whenua for temporary approval for an existing designation?

 

5. Why should I, or others, need to know the historic significance of our areas and acknowledge or express that significance?

 

6. Why should I, or others, need to communicate appropriately and effectively with mana whenua so that they can communicate effectively with their people, and uphold their mana?

 

7. The Koha we pay is the fees we pay such as water rates, sewage discharge rates and consent fees.

 

I firmly believe that all of us whether black, white or brindle, whatever our creed, need to ensure that the impact we have on water should maintain the highest possible quality for that water source.

 

We all need to ensure that we are treating any discharges into water sources, to the best of our ability so we don’t have a detrimental impact on those water sources.

 

I don’t believe there is any reason for myself or others to ask mana whenua for temporary approval for an existing designation or to be controlled by Iwi because in his words, “it’s offensive to Iwi Maaori, who had limited say in its designation”.

 

I believe that we should all respect others feelings and emotional attachments but at the same time I don’t believe that we need to adhere to their beliefs in relation to the water resources of NZ.

 

I also do not believe that we have a responsibility to communicate particularly with mana whenua over and above any other ethnic group in NZ. It is all about giving due respect to all people who have an interest in the water on the basis of equal rights for all NZ citizens.

 

Water is an essential necessity for life and as such it is required for all of us to survive. On that basis and given that the water resources are communally owned we all need to make every effort to ensure that we maintain or improve the water quality across all of the water resources within NZ.

 

I support his view regards ensuring that water resources are used responsibly and that water quality is paramount; I respect his beliefs in relation to the water resources but I don’t necessarily hold the same beliefs.

 

So in summary we need to protect the water resources to sustain life and we need to respect the opinions of other ethnicities in relation to the water resources but I don’t believe it is necessary to elevate any particular ethnic beliefs, in relation to water, above any other.