Tāngata Whenua Environmental Monitoring Fund

Applications are now open and close at 5pm on Friday, 7 April 2023.

Northland Regional Council’s Tāngata Whenua Environmental Monitoring fund recognises the strong connection tāngata whenua has with our taiao.

A total of $20,000 is available to support tāngata whenua to undertake their own environmental monitoring within Te Taitokerau.

The purpose of the new fund is to:

  • support tāngata whenua to undertake monitoring activities in partnership with Northland Regional Council (NRC)
  • increase the skills and capacity of tāngata whenua to undertake monitoring
  • share knowledge and information so both tāngata whenua and NRC can better understand and manage changes in the environment.

What type of mahi does the fund support?

There are three main environmental monitoring types; air, soil, and water.

Types of mahi the fund supports includes:

  • monitoring by tāngata whenua to understand the cultural and physical health of fresh and coastal waterbodies (and associated ecosystems) and / or the impacts of climate change on fresh or coastal waterways
  • development of indicators or methods for assessing the ‘cultural health’ of fresh and coastal waters and assessing the impacts of climate change
  • assisting in the review or development of parts of iwi or hapū environmental management plans related to the above
  • training and capacity building for tāngata whenua to undertake environmental monitoring related to the above.

Techniques to monitor may include filtration, sedimentation, electrostatic samples, impingers, absorption, condensation, grab sampling, and composite sampling. Data collected from these methods of environmental monitoring are either categorized, analysed or visualized, and create actionable insights that drive informed decision making.

The fund is not intended to support monitoring:

  • that is the primary responsibility or function of another council or agency
  • that is outside the boundaries of Northland Regional Council jurisdiction.

Application criteria

Funding will only be granted where:

  • The applicant is an established legal or operational tāngata whenua entity such as a marae committee, Hapū trust, Iwi Authority, or a consultant contracted to act on the entity’s behalf
  • The monitoring proposed relates to the type of mahi described above.
  • Monitoring data is to be made available to NRC unless there are particular sensitivities associated with some or all of the information gathered (details of which are to be outlined beforehand in the application).

Full Application Criteria document

Application form

Download the application form in your preferred format below:

Return your completed application with attachments by 5:00pm Friday, 7 April 2023 via email to: [email protected] or by post:

Postal address:
Northland Regional Council
Private Bag 9021
Te Mai, Whangārei 0143

Kōrero mai

If you would like more information about the Tāngata Whenua Environmental Monitoring fund or assistance with completing the application form, please contact:

Kim Peita, Kaiwhakahaere Honongā Māori – Manager Māori Relationships Northland Regional Council
P: 0800 002 004 | E: [email protected]

FAQs - Tāngata Whenua Environmental Monitoring Fund
Get answers to some of your questions about the fund.