Officials will be able to enter marae without a warrant under a new water safety proposal, even though no marae water supply has ever caused an outbreak of illness.
The Water Services Bill is a response to the 2016 Havelock North drinking water crisis, and plans to impose tighter restrictions on suppliers across the country.
But many Māori say its unacceptable for officials to come onto marae without their permission, and impose rules on places governed by tikanga.
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui has this report.
