Whangārei hapū leaders say their relationship with the local district council has been damaged after councillors voted against a key agreement for environmental planning.
About 40 supporters of the Ngā Hapū o Whangārei collective’s request attended Thursday’s council meeting at Te Iwitahi civic centre.
Whangārei District Council (WDC) councillors voted 10-4 to adopt an eleventh-hour recommendation confirming the council would not initiate a Mana Whakahono ā Rohe (MWaR) agreement process.
A Mana Whakahono ā Rohe is a legal agreement that sets out how councils and iwi or hapū will work together on environmental planning and resource management matters, under the Resource Management Act.
Ngā Hapū o Whangārei member Hūhana Lyndon said the decision would have lasting consequences.
“It’s a kick in the guts. It undermines and degrades the council-hapū relationship. It’s bad faith.”
Lyndon, who is also a Green Party list MP, said the council had failed to provide a pathway towards a statutory relationship with hapū.
Poroti kaumātua Hona Edwards of Whangārei’s Te Uriroroi hapū described the outcome as disappointing.
The original council meeting agenda contained two options — to initiate a MWaR process with Whangārei district hapū or decline to do so.
However, by the time the meeting began, that had been replaced with a recommendation, moved by Mayor Ken Couper and seconded by Councillor Paul Yovich, that the council would not initiate the process at present.
New Zealand has eight signed MWaR agreements across five councils — Whangārei District Council, Far North District Council, Northland Regional Council, Taupō District Council and West Coast Regional Council.
Six of these are in Northland - Whangārei and Far North district councils each have one, and Northland Regional Council has four.
Mayor Couper acknowledged the supporters’ disappointment.
“We also understand that we cannot keep everybody happy at the same time.”
He said councillors had received extensive briefings and engaged in robust debate before making their decision.
Couper said he did not want the decision to suggest the council failed to understand the importance of its relationships with hapū.
“...we do.”
Te Orewai hapū member Delaraine Armstrong said she was disappointed by the result.
Armstrong, who is a member of WDC’s Te Kārearea strategic partnership standing committee, said the vote came despite years of work between hapū and the council.
Whangārei Māori Ward councillor Phoenix Ruka said statutory agreements provided certainty for future generations during a period of significant change in resource management and local government.
While the current council had demonstrated a commitment to working with hapū, he questioned what would happen under future councils without statutory arrangements.
“The uncertainty is what worries hapū.”
Deputy Mayor Scott McKenzie acknowledged an MWaR would formally entrench the relationship between council and hapū.
Instead, the council had chosen to strengthen existing partnership arrangements.
“What we are instead committing to here is a non-statutory relationship that is enduring.
“I acknowledge that’s not perfect or enough, but it is where we are at.”
The hapū application comes as planned changes to resource management legislation are expected to end the ability to initiate new MWaR.
“After the new legislation comes into play, which we expect by October, the day after that, these agreements can’t be initiated any more,” Councillor Tangiwai Baker said.
However, she said, already signed or initiated agreements could still be considered in future planning processes.
WDC also has MWaR proposals from Ngāti Takapari and Te Parawhau that have yet to be formally progressed.
Baker said hapū — unlike iwi authorities — had to rely on councils to initiate an MWaR process.
Whangārei Māori ward councillor Deborah Harding noted the contrast between the council’s willingness to move quickly on other major reforms and its reluctance to progress the MWaR application.
However, Councillor Simon Reid said the council should not be rushed when considering an application of such significance.
Councillor David Baldwin said councillors were going to face criticism regardless of the meeting outcome.
“The council was going to be damned if it did and damned if it didn’t.”
Baldwin said the council was reaffirming its commitment to strengthening relationships, not weakening them.
Mayor Couper, Deputy Mayor Scott McKenzie and councillors David Baldwin, Crichton Christie, Brad Flower, Stephen Martin, Marie Olsen, Simon Reid, Matthew Yovich and Paul Yovich voted in favour of not initiating the process at present
Harding and fellow Māori ward councillor Phoenix Ruka, along with councillors Tangiwai Baker and Nicholas Connop, voted against that position.
LDR is local body journalism funded by RNZ and NZ on Air
