Chief Ombudsman advocates iwi empowerment in cyclone-hit regions

Peter Boshier

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier is calling on the government and local councils to empower iwi on the back of a visit to cyclone-hit areas.

Boshier travelled to Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay this week to meet with affected communities who are still picking up the pieces from Cyclone Gabrielle.

His visit was the second such trip this year, following an April tour where he expressed disappointment at not being able to make it further up the East Coast.

Travelling north of Gisborne on Tuesday, he said it was time to rethink how things were done in the regions.

“New Zealand is a good country. There’s so much we do well . . . and yet I think the provinces and those on the fringes are too easily forgotten,” Boshier said.

“I really wonder whether the best model for Tairāwhiti East Coast is to devolve much greater responsibility to people on the ground, who know what’s needed, who can be trusted, and who are more likely to act quicker and put the money to better use than if it’s channelled through a typical bureaucratic channel.”

In a similar vein to his April visit, Boshier praised Māori for their resilience in the face of adversity.

But many people he had met on the Coast felt external support hadn’t been as visible as they’d hoped.

Boshier said it was important to acknowledge both the power and accountability of iwi, and that under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, “you don’t do it all from Wellington”.

“I think people on the Coast are saying ‘let us get on with it, trust us, give us the resources, empower us, and give us a co-leadership role in getting resources to work’.

“People’s lives at the moment are too much on hold.

“I’d like to see more trust and more empowerment of iwi by government and by councils.”

Boshier described the impact of the cyclone as one of “sheer devastation”, and said it was important for decision makers to  consider the failing infrastructure of the region.

Communication and transport were key, he said.

“New Zealand can’t just be building super highways in other parts of the country. We’ve got to have a decent communication road on the East Coast.”

While the Ombudsman’s primary role is to investigate complaints against government agencies, Boshier said it was important to make the trip so that people knew he cared about what had happened.

The visit included a hui with Civil Defence in Tolaga Bay, a ute trip with locals over a diversion road used by the trucking industry, and a meeting with an emergency response team in Ruatōria.

During his April visit, Boshier said it was common to begin receiving complaints several months after an event, once the feeling of cohesion had worn off.

Although there hadn’t been a spike, complaints were likely to pick up once the government began acting on the land categorisations it had announced, he said.