Two South Taranaki iwi have indicated they’d prefer the region ends up with two councils under the Government’s local government shake-up.
South Taranaki’s mayor called for separate councils – on a north-south or town-country split – at an iwi liaison meeting on Wednesday.
His preference drew early support from Ngāti Ruanui and Taranaki iwi.
The Beehive wants to revamp local government to cut costs and streamline decisions.
Regional councils will be abolished, with Government ministers urging district councils to amalgamate into larger unitary authorities.
Taranaki is covered by a regional council and three districts: South Taranaki, Stratford, and New Plymouth.
On Tuesday, the Government gave councils three months to propose how their area should be reorganised.
New planning laws are before Parliament, and Resource Management Act reform minister Chris Bishop said his Government wasn’t prepared to let councils slow the reforms.
“If councils don’t step up and put forward credible proposals, the Government will step in and make those decisions,” Bishop said.
The following day, Mayor Phil Nixon told South Taranaki District Council’s Te Kāhui Matauraura committee he didn’t favour a single Taranaki council.
“We could go to two unitary [councils] in Taranaki, basically a north-south or an urban-rural, because I think if we went together with Stratford under a unitary, we’ve very much got communities of interest.”
“New Plymouth then, being urban, they do their thing.”
Taranaki iwi Matauraura representative Peter Moeahu asked if the Stratford District Council agreed.
Nixon said he and Stratford mayor Neil Volzke recently met with Ngāti Ruanui.
“[Ngāti Ruanui] made it clear to us the other day that they would favour a two-unitary set-up in Taranaki,” Nixon said.
Peter Moeahu: “I’m confident Taranaki iwi would too.”
The local government overhaul also raised questions about STDC’s partnership strategy with the district’s four iwi.
Signed in 2023 after three years of negotiation, He Pou Tikanga Partnership Strategy sets out why and how the council collaborates with the area’s four iwi.
He Pou Tikanga is due for review to ensure it serves as input to STDC’s long-term plan.
But Moeahu questioned the relevance of planned workshops and wānanga.
“If we came to a decision around this table about a partnership, how enduring would that be if councils were forced into another relationship?”
The mayor said the local government landscape could look very different in a few years, but work with iwi needed to continue.
“I would certainly hope … whether we’ve got one unitary in Taranaki or whether we’ve got two, that we can continue to have agreements like He Pou Tikanga in place.”
Ngāti Ruanui representative Graham Young said talks about He Pou Tikanga should take into account the new Mana Whakahono ā Rohe.
Iwi across Taranaki are seeking multi-council Mana Whakahono agreements that set out how mana whenua take part in decision-making under the Resource Management Act.
Crucially, Mana Whakahono would remain in place even after the Government scraps the RMA.
Young said work on both agreements could be aligned to remain relevant whatever the future shape of Taranaki’s councils.
“We can probably use this opportunity to bring some of that together because it would be really good if [He Pou Tikanga talks] could form part of the Mana Whakahono.”
LDR is local government journalism funded by RNZ and NZ on Air
