Ngāti Rangitihi is a Te Arawa Iwi of the Bay of Plenty. The Marae is based at Matata, between Maketu and Whakatane; and the iwi has traditional interests from the coastal areas of Matata and surrounding area inland to Lake Tarawera, the Rangitaiki Plains and Waikato River.

Ngāti Rangitihi a small iwi with a large rohe. With a traditional estate of 352,865 hectares the iwi was dealing with concerns around alienation from, and fragmentation of, their land. Contaminated lakes and rivers, a lack of representation and recognition , and historic events – including the Tarawera Eruption of 1886, World War II and the Matata Floods in 2005 – had also impacted the relationship between people and land.

Ngāti Rangitihi sought to create a comprehensive document that consolidates Iwi knowledge on natural and cultural resource management issues, and iwi policies on resource management matters.

The Plan was prepared by Te Mana o Ngāti Rangitihi Trust with support from Boffa Miskell's cultural advisory team, and resources from Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Department of Conservation, Whakatāne District Council, Rotorua District Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, and Taupō District Council.

The Environmental Management Plan included identification and description of 183 places of significance and customary resource areas, supported by a database of research, traditional knowledge and archaeological sites. Historic and current maps, surveys and sketched plans were augmented with GIS technology. The result is a document that is extremely well presented and easy to read. The content is clear and succinct and reflective of the good practice collaborative community planning that underpins the plan.

The plan was also innovative in a number of key areas, such as the synthesis of multiple planning regimes and plans. The quality of the document is even more impressive when the tight timeframe and budget under which it was developed is considered.