Good progress continues with allocation
The progress being made on allocation continues with pace as another 17 iwi organisations could possibly be mandated before the end of 2006.
All going to plan, that would mean a total of 39 iwi organisations would have reached MIO status since the passing of the Maori Fisheries Act in 2004 and well over half of Aotearoa's iwi would be in a position to receive their share of fisheries settlement assets calculated on a population basis.
Allocation Manager Paki Rawiri says that while it would be ideal to have all 17 iwi organisations ready for approval before the end of the year, some of them might not be completed. “There is always the probability that other issues take precedence for some iwi, such as dealing with treaty settlement negotiations or other important business, but we certainly hope they will all be ready,” he said.
So far, 22 iwi organisations have been approved by Te Ohu Kaimoana, which had planned on approving 26 MIOs by the end of September. CEO Peter Douglas says that with a possible 39 iwi through the mandating process by the end of 2006, the fisheries trust is well ahead of schedule.
“As more iwi become familiar with the Maori Fisheries Act requirements, are made aware of the various structures that can be put in place and become more confident about what management structures and constitutions are right for them, we are likely to see iwi come through the process faster.”
Peter says a number of iwi said template constitutions and structures developed by Te Ohu Kaimoana have facilitated their approval process.
Once MIO status has been achieved, there are a number of important things to be done before assets can be transferred. These include:
- Registration of the MIO as a FishServe client,
- Ratification of the MIO's Asset Holding Company (AHC) and evidence of this forwarded to Te Ohu Kaimoana,
- Signing of a Deed of Warranty and Transfer document, which includes the schedules of assets being transferred, by the MIO and Te Ohu Kaimoana, and
- Signing of the Aotearoa Fisheries Limited (AFL) income share transfer form.
Once all the details have been confirmed, Te Ohu Kaimoana provides the quota share transfer documents to FishServe and the income share transfer documents to AFL, and pays out the cash amount to a nominated bank account.
Details of the MIO process and assistance available are on our website. An easy-to-use reference for everyone to track the progress of all iwi and MIOs is also available on the website at http://teohu.maori.nz/iwiregister/.
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Protecting Māori fisheries assets for future generations