Cultural values assessments (CVA)Ngā aromatawai mō ngā uara ahurea

Who prepares a CVA?

A cultural values assessment is prepared by an iwi authority, their nominee or any other person approved by the iwi authority.

The purpose of a CVA

A CVA documents mana whenua's cultural values, interests, and associations with an area or natural resource.

It will also assess how a proposal might impact on the identified cultural values and may contain measures to mitigate the effects of the proposal.

Check if you need a CVA before you apply for a resource consent

Engaging with mana whenua before lodging your resource consent application will avoid delays later in your project.

We can advise and guide you on engaging with iwi to ensure the best outcomes for both you and mana whenua. We recommend you get this advice if you have not engaged with iwi before.

Contact us on 06 835 7579 to discuss whether you need to provide one or more mana whenua Cultural Values Assessments with your application, and what steps to follow.

Finding out that you need a CVA after you apply for a resource consent

If, after lodging your application you find out you require a CVA , we can provide facilitators who can begin the engagement process for you.

The facilitators will contact the relevant mana whenua and provide you with their initial feedback, including whether CVA are required. It is then your responsibility to continue the engagement process.

However, by this stage, other aspects of your project may have progressed and could be disrupted. Because of this, we recommend you engage before you lodge the application.

Who to contact

We are updating the method for advising which iwi authorities to engage with for different parts of the region. To find out who the relevant iwi authorities are for a particular site or location, email us at planning@napier.govt.nz, clearly stating the location's address. If you need help on how to engage with different iwi authorities, contact us.