NGĀTI WHAKAU DEMAND CO-GOVERNANCE

In October 2021 Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust, Ngāti Whakaue Tribal Lands, Te Kotahitanga o Ngāti Whakaue Assets Trust, and Ngāti Whakaue Education Endowment, or the Ngāti Whakaue Economic Entities made a joint submission to Council about the Representation Review, which would affect how the 2022 & 2025 elections were to be run. 

The following are some highlights:

Ngāti Whakaue are Mana Whenua in our rohe and collectively represent the largest landholding and therefore ratepayer base in Rotorua.

…

We note that Te Tatau o Te Arawa have provided a submission. The Ngāti Whakaue Economic Entities were asked to support that submission which we respectfully declined in order to provide our own separate submission.

…

While not the immediate subject of the Representation Review 2022, we want to make it clear that Mana Whenua should have, and always should have had, equal status in all local authority governance decisions. While not the immediate subject of the Representation Review 2022, we want to make it clear that Mana Whenua should have, and always should have had, equal status in all local authority governance decisions.

…

It is against this background that we expect our voice and view herein to carry weight and influence.

…

In that regard, it is our proposal that the 1 Māori Ward and the 1 General Ward have the same number of seats.

Ngāti Whakaue’s submission was given “weight and influence” by the majority of Elected Members of Council who thereby disregarded the other 168 submissions, including that of Council’s “partner” – Te Tatau o Te Arawa.

This gave rise to the 1M:1G:8AL model that the Local Government Commission rejected and the 3M:3G:4AL model that Parliament was unable to rush through Parliament in time for this year’s election but remains the subject of a Judicial Review which is to be heard in August.

Five Councillors plus the Mayor have iwi affiliations to Ngāti Whakaue and / or Te Arawa.  When a Mayor and Councillors are elected they required to swear to act in the best interests of the whole Rotorua District – not their iwi affiliations.