Some council services will be unavailable over the Christmas and New Year break.
Check if you need to apply or order before Friday 19 December 2025.
A cultural values assessment is prepared by an iwi authority, their nominee or any other person approved by the iwi authority.
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.
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 09 301 0101 to discuss whether you need to provide one or more mana whenua Cultural Values Assessments with your application, and what steps to follow.
You can find mana whenua contacts for your area on our website.
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.
See Find mana whenua contacts for relevant iwi authorities for a particular site or location.
Contact us for information on how to engage with different iwi authorities.