31Recognition of iwi-Māori partnership boards

1. The criteria for recognition of an organisation as an iwi-Māori partnership board are as follows:

2. the boundaries of the area covered by the organisation (the area) do not overlap with the boundaries of any area covered by any iwi-Māori partnership board; and
3. the organisation has taken reasonable steps to engage with Māori communities and groups that—
   1. are present in the area; or
   2. have interests in the area; and
4. the organisation’s constitutional and governance arrangements demonstrate that—
   1. the organisation has the capacity and capability to perform its functions as an iwi-Māori partnership board; and
   2. the organisation will engage with, and represent the views of, Māori within the area; and
   3. Māori communities and groups in the area can hold the organisation accountable for the performance of its functions in relation to the area; and
5. the area is consistent with the effective functioning of iwi-Māori partnership boards as a whole.

6. The membership of an iwi-Māori partnership board—

7. must be determined by the board after it has complied with subsection (1)(b) and the applicable requirements of its constitutional and governance arrangements; and
8. may be varied by the board in the same way.

9. An iwi-Māori partnership board may determine its own procedures.

10. If an organisation wishes to be recognised as an iwi-Māori partnership board,—

11. it must notify the Director-General; and
12. the Director-General must, if satisfied that the criteria in subsection (1) have been met, advise the Minister accordingly; and
13. the Minister must recommend the making of an Order in Council under subsection (7)(a).

14. If 2 or more iwi-Māori partnership boards agree to vary or merge their boundaries,—

15. they must notify the Director-General; and
16. the Director-General must, if satisfied that the criteria in subsection (1) have been met, advise the Minister accordingly; and
17. the Minister must recommend the making of an Order in Council under subsection (7)(b).

18. If the Director-General is satisfied that an iwi-Māori partnership board no longer meets the criteria in subsection (1) and that it is unlikely that the iwi-Māori partnership board will be able to meet the criteria within a reasonable period of time,—

19. the Director-General must advise the Minister accordingly; and
20. the Minister must recommend the making of an Order in Council under subsection (7)(c).

21. The Governor-General may, by Order in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister made only on the advice of the Director-General, amend Schedule 4 for the purpose of—

22. recognising an organisation as an iwi-Māori partnership board; or
23. giving effect to an agreement to a variation or merger referred to in subsection (5); or
24. removing an iwi-Māori partnership board from Schedule 4 pursuant to subsection (6) or at the request of that iwi-Māori partnership board; or
25. making any minor or consequential changes.

26. An organisation listed in column 1 of Schedule 4 is recognised as the iwi-Māori partnership board for the corresponding area described in column 2 of Schedule 4.

27. An Order in Council made under this section is secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements).