The whakapapa connection between tangata whenua and wai Māori is intrinsic. This position is supported by the Crown obligation to He Whakaputanga, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and by our tino rangatiratanga as tangata whenua. Negotiations of fresh-water rights and interests need to be completed before any significant reform of water regulations and management is undertaken. The Waitangi Tribunal said that the Crown should be working directly with hapū and iwi to create a standard process for addressing Māori rights and interests. Instead, this current Government decided to stop negotiating with iwi leaders, and instead has established its own Māori advisory group, which was Te Kāhui Wai Māori. A water service regime that does not give effect to Te Tiriti isn't worth the paper it's written on. Our people have seen time and time again what happens when legislation is put forward that goes against our rights while they are still being considered and negotiated for in the courts and in Government. This must be opposed, as it does not have the active consent or support of whānau, hapū, and iwi Māori. The Crown needs to go back to the drawing board and not rush this legislation through until it recognises and implements Māori rights and interests to fresh water.