This article was first published on RNZ.
The Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board says it is disappointed the Taupō District Council has chosen to draw out the process for its joint water management agreement with the iwi by deferring it to the next council.
Councilors voted on Thursday to defer discussion of the draft Joint Management Agreement (JMA) until after the next local government elections in October after concerns over a lack of public consultation on the agreement were raised.
The purpose of the draft JMA is to protect the water of Lake Taupō (Taupō Moana) and the Upper Waikato River. It would see the council and Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board collaborate on work such as monitoring and enforcement, district plan reviews, resource consent application assessments, and enabling customary activities.
The council has legal obligations to form agreements with Waikato River iwi trusts under the Waikato River Act 2010.
Speaking after the meeting on Thursday, Taupō Mayor David Trewavas said he was all for the JMA but felt the community had not been taken along with the process. There had been a lot of misinformation and public debate around the agreement, he said.
“For that reason today councilors decided to defer consideration of the JMA till until the new council has been elected in October and that will give them a chance to fully understand the agreement and what’s involved.”
But Trust Board chair John Bishara said the JMA has been co-developed through a process that fully aligned with the legislation and was ready for adoption following endorsement by the Joint Committee.
The discussion at Thursday’s meeting reflected a clear double-standard, he said. Councillors spent significant time debating whether public consultation should occur, despite receiving clear advice that consultation was not required under the Local Government Act or council policy, he said.
“The fact that consultation became the focus, even though it wasn’t required, makes it hard to ignore the sense of different standards being applied here.
“This decision is out of step with the values many in our community expect and undermines the good work that has been done to this point.”
In light of the decision, the Trust Board would now take time to consider all available options under the Waikato River Act 2010, he said.
The Trust thanked the more than 100 Tūwharetoa whānau who put in a submission of support, and those who showed up at the council vote to tautoko.
No matter what, Ngāti Tūwharetoa are kaitiaki of Taupō Moana, and we will continue to protect our taonga, āke ake ake, they said.
By Pokere Paewai of RNZ.
