‘A world-first indigenous-council partnership’ mooted for Whanganui

Susan @DEMOCRACYACTION
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Dec 14, 2024
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‘A world-first indigenous-council partnership’ mooted for Whanganui

The Whanganui Lands Negotiation Settlement Trust (WLSNT) and the Crown negotiator are seeking agreement from the Whanganui District Council to support the Trust's aspiration to establish a partnership framework with the Council, aiming to include this proposal in their Treaty settlement.

While Mayor Andrew Tripe and the council appear to be largely supportive of this initiative - what the mayor calls ‘a world-first indigenous-council partnership’ - the council is encouraging its citizens to have a say on the proposals.

Under the plan iwi would participate in decision-making in the joint management of lands, resources, and socio-economic strategies. If approved the proposals would bind future councils, future generations.

In addition to the co-management of several currently Crown-owned parks and reserves, the council is being presented with further proposals which include:

Developing a legally binding iwi-council relationship agreement with the Whanganui District Council (WDC) which would also apply to all future councils.
Creating a shared entity through which the council and iwi would take a joint approach to social wellbeing.
The transfer of the ownership of 128 hectares of council-owned land around the airport.
The First Right of Refusal to purchase Harbour or City Endowment lands should Council consider selling.
The establishment of a Lakes Trust with WLSNT and Council for identified lakes, allowing for the continuity of public use and access “in a culturally appropriate way.”

WLSNT Chair Ken Mair says, “We are excited to reset our relationship with the council based upon our collective mātāpono (values) and to work together on two exceptional kaupapa (initiatives) that will benefit not just our Whanganui Iwi and Hapū, but our whole hāpori (community) residing within our tribal domain."

The legally binding iwi-council relationship agreement – to be named ‘Te Tomokanga ki Te Matapihi’ - would provide direction on next steps to develop processes to enhance Whanganui hapū and iwi participation in the council’s decision-making, including under the Resource Management Act. It also seeks to promote collaborative management of lands, resources, and socio-economic strategies. In accordance with the Whanganui Iwi Treaty Settlement legislation, this agreement will also apply to future Whanganui District Councils.

In addition, the WLSNT is seeking the council’s agreement to establish a charitable trust through which the council and iwi would take a joint approach to the social and economic wellbeing of the district. The Trust would have shared leadership with three members from Hapū/Iwi, two from the council, one from Takapau Whariki, (the post-settlement governance entity), and one from the wider community. This arrangement would place majority control of the Trust in hapu/iwi hands.

The financial obligations for these operations remain “yet to be determined.”

In accordance with the co-governance model, the council is also being asked to agree to the establishment of a joint Statutory Reserves Board to manage specific reserves. Despite this governance shift, the council will remain responsible for the funding of the day-to-day maintenance.

Details relating to the proposals are scarce, a point made by councillors Michael Law and Rob Vinsen at the Strategy and Policy Committee meeting on 28 November. Vinsen said he could not agree to release a document to the public that had not been finalised and was only a summary. Despite this lack of information, the Committee agreed to go ahead with public engagement, which is being jointly led by the WLSNT and the council, with assistance from the Crown.

The public engagement was kicked off by two meetings on 9 December, led by Ken Mair, the Chair of WLSNT, and Mayor Andrew Tripe. The recordings of the meetings are on the WDC Facebook page. Other ‘Community Kōrero’ events are scheduled between 13 and 30 January 2025.

The public engagement period runs until 5pm 2 February 2025. The council will decide on the proposals on February 13.

Further information is available through the Whanganui District Council website Have your say: Working together post-settlement. This website includes a platform for submitting feedback. You can also access the survey at by clicking HERE. (Visitors are also invited to contribute their opinions).

If you have any further queries, you can email the council at: [email protected] or call 06 349 0001

References

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