Ngāi Tahu And Rio Tinto Guided By Te Tiriti O Waitangi And Working In New Zealand’s National Interest

Ngāi Tahu and Rio Tinto have reaffirmed their ongoing partnership, in a meeting between Ngāi Tahu representatives and Rio Tinto’s global Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm on Saturday in Christchurch.

Both partners noted the certainty provided by the continued operation of the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter, which benefits the entire Southland region and supports New Zealand’s decarbonisation efforts.

Jakob Stausholm, Chief Executive of Rio Tinto, said the partnership with Murihiku papatipu rūnaka, which is framed by Te Tiriti o Waitangi, is pivotal to the success of the smelter going forward.

“Our understanding of Te Tiriti is that parties work together in good faith, with respect and trust for one another.

“We have a shared ambition to remediate environmental impacts of the smelter’s operation, many of them historic in nature, while supporting the whole Murihiku community now and into the future. This agreement lays a path for us to work together on Tiwai’s site remediation, energy development, and community investment – priorities for both mana whenua and Rio Tinto,” Mr Stausholm said.

Murihiku papatipu rūnaka hold mana whenua and mana moana over the region and exercise kaitiakitanga (guardianship) over Tiwai and the surrounding coastal marine area. There are four papatipu rūnaka in southern Murihiku: Te Rūnaka o Awarua, Waihōpai Rūnaka, Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka and Hokonui Rūnanga.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu group head of strategy and environment and Awarua Rūnaka trustee spokeswoman, Jacqui Caine, said, “Te Tiriti o Waitangi sits at the heart of our relationship with Rio Tinto and New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Limited (NZAS). It is the foundation upon which we have built this mutually beneficial relationship. Without that framework I doubt we would have made the progress we have made. The principles of partnership, participation and protection have been key, and have benefitted our entire community and wider society.

“Our Memorandum of Understanding ensures that parties collaborate respectfully in the site’s remediation, benefit the community materially, and that distinct Ngāi Tahu interests in the site, including 34 cultural heritage sites, are actively protected,” Caine said.

Stausholm added that, “The Treaty principles provide a useful framework to support our engagement with mana whenua, and we appreciate the guidance and generosity of spirit Ngāi Tahu has offered. That framework is also informing how we approach relationships with Indigenous peoples in other places we operate.

“From our own perspective, working within a framework of established principles, such as those in the Treaty of Waitangi, has had a positive impact on our business here. New Zealand’s approach provides certainty and an enhanced reputation as a place to do business.

Upoko of Te Rūnaka o Awarua, Tā Tipene O’Regan is pleased that NZAS has reached a twenty-year agreement with electricity providers, securing the future of Tiwai Point.

“Had Rio Tinto ceased operations and made a hard exit, it would have impacted every New Zealand taxpayer, given the share of the New Zealand electricity market NZAS currently accounts for, in addition to challenges of environmental remediation.

“In the absence of alternative industries, that hard exit would have had a massive negative social and economic impact, given the direct and indirect employment the smelter creates,” O’Regan, said.

“The Murihiku community and New Zealand as a whole have benefitted from NZAS staying open. That is clear. It is important for people to understand that the pathway leading to this positive outcome was paved by collaborations with Ngāi Tahu and a functional commitment to the principles of Te Tiriti by Rio Tinto, O’Regan said.

We look forward to sharing further updates on progressing the MOU with the community at the Murihiku Regeneration Energy and Innovation Expo in Invercargill on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 November”.

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