Donna Flavell - Te Mana o Te Wai

Donna Flavell is the Chief Executive of Te Whakakitenga o Waikato Inc, the iwi organisation for Waikato-Tainui. She is also the Chair of the Freshwater Iwi Advisors Group, who is engaging with the government on freshwater management policy and law reform. The key objective is addressing iwi rights and interests in freshwater, with a focus on developing a range of mechanisms for iwi to access water for economic development. At the centre of this ongoing discussion between iwi and the government is Te Mana o Te Wai. Upholding Te Mana o Te Wai acknowledges and protects the mauri of the water and recognises that in order to use and develop water you should provide for Te Hauora o Te Taiao (health of the environment), Te Hauora o Te Wai (health of the waterbody) and Te Hauora o Te Tangata (the health of the people). Donna will provide insights into Te Mana o Te Wai and how its implementation through statutory and other frameworks has been developed.