New Plymouth councillors have told off staff for not talking with mana whenua before taking a council reform proposal to Government.
New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) last month sent a proposal to reform Taranaki local government for the Government to consider under its Head Start amalgamation programme.
A report to Te Huinga Taumatua’s meeting on Wednesday said the Beehive’s three month deadline had left no time to consult mana whenua.
“Engagement with iwi and hapū did not occur at the depth or breadth expected … with compressed timeframes limiting the opportunity for meaningful participation.”
The council’s Future Local Government programme director Helen Gray admitted the shortfall to Te Huinga Taumatua – the iwi advisory committee.
“Initial engagement … fell short of the expectations and [the report] recognises the opportunity to reset relationships and create space for iwi, hapū, and PSGEs to determine how to participate in these discussions,” Gray said.
Councillor Gina Blackburn wasn’t impressed.
“What a really lovely way to say that our engagement was actually really poor.
“We didn’t engage with our hapū and iwi well at all, in my view.”
Iwi had previously objected to being shut out of council reform talks.
Blackburn questioned future engagement as NPDC fleshed out the proposals before the Government’s next deadline in March.
“What are the concrete safeguards to ensure phase two is not another compressed engagement exercise?”
Councillor Dinnie Moeahu said staff reports should set out the council’s Local Government Act obligations to Māori, for councillors who hadn’t read them.
“The statutory obligations are very broad and clear in terms of engagement with Māori, and yet such an important part of the document is missing – those actual provisions.”
Moeahu said there was an ideal summary of the Act’s relevant clauses in another report on the committee’s agenda.
“It’s simple, it’s clear, it’s concise.
“It’s also something that can be copy and pasted into many other reports.”
Gray said staff would include the legal obligations in coming reports.
She also set out a programme of iwi and hapū input to ongoing work on local government reform.
“The programme would include a series of wānanga and a review of Treaty settlement arrangements and existing partnership mechanisms.”
Iwi leaders Wharehoka Wano and Mitchell Ritai had already been appointed as representatives on NPDC’s Future Local Government steering group.
A dedicated iwi and hapū engagement lead would be hired.
Te Huinga Taumatua also criticised the council’s draft Tiriti o Waitangi Outcomes Framework.
Councillor Blackburn pointed out the Tiriti framework wasn’t included in NPDC’s new project prioritisation framework.
A report said Tiriti considerations would sit outside the priority weighting system but would “help fully inform” councillors’ decision-making.
“So it’s a nice-to-have,” Blackburn said.
“What practical decision influence does it have when projects compete for scarce long-term plan funding?
“Is this going to become a document that is just disregarded?”
The pou tohutohu of NPDC’s Iwi Relationships Team, Rangi Maihi, conceded Tiriti Outcomes would only be “supporting the decision-making” when councillors pick priorities for the long-term plan.
“I would hope the elected members would put some priority on the projects that support the Te Tiriti outcomes.”
Maihi said the Tiriti Outcomes Framework had been given to managers developing long-term plan budgets.
They would have to explain if they rejected measures that would support Tiriti Outcomes.
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