The Deed of Acknowledgement was signed on 2 October 2025. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Council
Seventeen years after the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act was signed, a new agreement "gives practical effect" to the rights of tangata whenua laid out in the 2008 legislation.
The Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Deed of Acknowledgement was signed on Thursday between Te Kawerau ā Maki, Auckland Council and the Crown.
The Deed of Acknowledgement applies to public land within the lush forests of the Heritage Area and crown land managed by DoC.
Under the deed the Council's Planning and Policy Committee set up of a new joint committee to preserve the area.
The committee will include representatives from five members from Te Kawerau ā Maki, two from council's governing body, three from local boards and one from DoC
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said the agreement reflects the council's legal and moral obligations under the 2008 Act.
"The decision to approve this Deed was unanimous at the Policy and Planning Committee... and it reflects our obligations to work alongside Te Kawerau ā Maki as kaitiaki of these lands."
The Deed of Acknowledgement was signed at Arataki Visitor Centre in the Waitākere Ranges on 2 October 2025. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Council
Policy and Planning Committee chair Richard Hills said the signing followed years of consultation and rebuilding trust.
"This has been a long time coming - I feel a huge sense of pride that we were finally able [to] get this done with and for Te Kawerau a Maki.
"Te Wao Nui o Tiriwa is a taonga and the deed will ensure positive outcomes and protection into the future."
The Deed aims to create a framework for closer collaboration between Te Kawerau ā Maki, Auckland Council, the Department of Conservation and local communities, he said.
The council will also consider establishing a new Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Forum in the next term.
Te Warena Taua, Te Kawera Iwi Settlement Trust Chair, signs the Deed of Acknowledgement on 2 October 2025. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Council
Te Kawerau Iwi Tiaki Trust chief executive Edward Ashby said the agreement is a step toward shared guardianship, at a time when "the Ranges are under pressure".
"This Deed is first and foremost about honouring the deep whakapapa connection.
"It is also about recognising the work that we have done - and the work that we must continue to do... to meet the environmental and cultural challenges ahead.... and this collaboration is part of the solution."
Auckland Council Māori Outcomes Director Nick Turoa said the Deed "gives practical effect to the intent of the original 2008 legislation and is about walking the talk with our communities."
He said the agreement represents "kotahitanga in practice: tangata whenua, the Crown, Auckland Council and our communities working together".
During the ceremony, a wahaika taonga named Kia mau te rongo - meaning "hold fast to peace" - was gifted to Te Kawerau ā Maki.
As part of the ceremony, a wahaika taonga was gifted to Te Kawerau ā Maki and given the name Kia mau te rongo. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Council
That area spans nearly 28,000ha of land between metropolitan Auckland and the coast of the Tasman.
The deed applies to publicly owned land, including DoC estates.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
