What is Plan Change 6A in Levin?

Plan Change 6A is a housing-related planning framework in Levin that includes provisions affecting development and land use.

Why are iwi concerned about the housing plan?

Iwi are concerned because references to their role and partnership have been removed, which they say undermines mana whenua and Treaty relationships.

Muaūpoko are the iwi and kaitiaki of the Lake Horowhenua area, with longstanding responsibilities for environmental stewardship and community wellbeing.

Iwi Removed From Housing Plan, Sparks Backlash

The Government’s decision to remove iwi references from a Levin housing plan has sparked criticism from Te Pati Māori, who say it undermines Treaty relationships and mana whenua rights.

Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is standing firmly with Muaūpoko Tribal Authority after Minister Chris Bishop conditionally approved Plan Change 6A for Levin stripping all iwi references as a condition of approval.

Iwi removal described as erasure of mana whenua

“This is not just a planning decision — it is a deliberate erasure of mana whenua from their own rohe,” says Ngarewa-Packer.

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Muaūpoko role in protecting Lake Horowhenua

Muaūpoko are the kaitiaki of Lake Horowhenua. They have worked alongside Horowhenua District Council in good faith, upholding their whakapapa obligations and fighting for the health of the lake for generations.

For the Minister to remove any trace of that relationship as a condition of development is an insult to that mahi and a warning sign for every mana whenua community across the motu.

Housing development vs iwi partnership

”We need more homes — no one disputes that. But you do not build thriving communities by cutting out the people who hold the land, the water, and the whakapapa. That is not development. That is displacement.”

Environmental restoration and iwi collaboration

Lake Horowhenua has long suffered from poor water quality and environmental neglect. Iwi-Council collaboration has been central to efforts to restore it.

Removing iwi from the legal framework of Plan Change 6A does not just sideline Muaūpoko — it undermines the very partnerships that make durable, community-led outcomes possible.

Treaty relationship concerns raised

”This Government talks about cutting red tape. What they are actually cutting is the Treaty relationship. Every time they do this, they make it harder to build the trust that good governance requires.”

Ngarewa-Packer has written formally to Minister Bishop urging him to reconsider the conditions and allow Plan Change 6A to proceed as adopted by the Council with Muaūpoko role intact.

If development continues to sideline mana whenua, the cost won’t just be cultural — it will be borne in weaker communities, poorer environmental outcomes, and fractured trust.