Operative Waikato Regional Policy Statement (October 2000)
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3 Significant Resource Management Issues, Objectives, Policies and Methods
3.3 Land and Soil
3.3.1 Overview
Encompassing an area of 25 000 km2, the land resource of the Waikato Region is one of great diversity. It has a number of features that are valued by the regional community for their ecological, productive, scenic, and cultural qualities.
The land resource forms the basis of the regional economy, with farming, urban development, tourism, recreation and forestry being predominant land uses. In some parts of the Region, plant and animal pests pose a threat to land.
Tangata whenua by definition means people of the land. Maori believe that they have a unique spiritual affinity with the land. Maori view themselves as an integral part of the natural world. Their relationship to land provides a link with both ancestors and future generations. It confirms tribal and kinship ties, and in doing so, establishes a sense of tribal identity and continuity. In managing the land resources of the Waikato, it is acknowledged that Maori are able to use land in their ownership in accordance with their culture and traditions, and on ancestral land, to protect sites and resources which are of particular cultural value to iwi consistent with statutory requirements.
In this section, the four distinct topographical areas within the Region (see Map 3) are described and resource management issues associated with each area are highlighted.
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