'There was no consultation' - Government being accused of trying to take control of Māori-owned land

The Government is being accused of once again trying to take control of Māori owned land.

It wants to force councils to survey private land and restrict development if it's found to be significant - prompting calls of a "land grab".

Te Kōhanga, Shipwreck Bay in Northland's been under the watchful eye of Patau Tepania and his iwi for generations.

“When it's inherited it's in us to protect these areas anyway and we'll do whatever we have to protect those values of our tipuna that left these lands for us,” he told 1 NEWS.

Now the Far North District Council considers some of the land to be a significant natural area, making any development more difficult.

“There was no consultation around this policy,” Tepania says.

The Government policy has been around for 30 years, but it has been optional for councils until now.

The goal is to protect native flora and fauna on private land and take a consistent approach across the country.

“Over the course of the next five years we will be requiring councils to map out any significant natural areas that they haven’t already mapped out,” Associate Environment Minister James Shaw says.

With iwi and some farmers expressing concern, Shaw argues there has been plenty of consultation.

“This doesn’t put an end to development, all it says is that where there is a significant natural area if there is going to be development on that it has to go through a resource management consent process.”

Farmers are threatening to protest as they have in the past.

The Environment Minister believes that would be an overreaction, to what he says is an attempt to save Aotearoa's unique biodiversity.