GDC pulls out of Rau Tipu Rau Ora: iwi leaders say decision impacts cyclone recovery

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Gisborne District Council has withdrawn from Rau Tipu Rau Ora, disappointing three of the district’s four iwi leaders who believe the partnership group is best placed to manage the recovery from Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle.

Rau Tipu Rau Ora (RTRO) was set up in 2020 to lead the development of the Tairāwhiti Covid-19 Pandemic Response and Recovery Plan, then oversee its implementation.

It included iwi chairs from Ngai Tāmanuhiri Tūtū Poroporo Trust, Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Rongowhakaata Iwi Trust (RIT), Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou (TRONPnui), Gisborne District Council (GDC), Te Whatu Ora Health NZ, Trust Tairāwhiti and Eastland Group.

RIT left the group last year, and when asked why, said they did not want to comment.

On March 6, Mayor Rehette Stoltz sent a letter to RTRO informing it that GDC was withdrawing from the group.

“Off the back of severe weather events and Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle, the newly elected council will be directly engaged in the wider regional strategic direction setting and recovery efforts,” Mayor Stoltz said in the letter.

“We have significant accountability for the massive work ahead and have much to do as we manage the multiple demands on our time and extensive work programmes.

“I have therefore made the decision that the Gisborne District Council will be withdrawing from Rau Tipu Rau Ora,” the letter stated.

In response, a media release from Toitu Tairāwhiti — a group made up of the chairs from the four Tairāwhiti iwi — says the Ngai Tamanuhiri, Te Aitanga a Mahaki and Ngati Porou iwi leaders believe that RTRO is “the right partnership arrangement to oversee future regional civil defence and emergency response planning, lead regional recovery planning and provide oversight of recovery implementation”.

TRONPnui chair Selwyn Parata said the Mayor’s “unilateral decision to withdraw GDC from Rau Tipu Rau Ora, the Tairāwhiti regional leadership group, demonstrated that she does not know how to partner with mana whenua”.

“This lack of understanding has adversely impacted the region’s Cyclone Gabrielle civil defence and emergency management (CDEM) response and is now impacting the region’s recovery,” Mr Parata said.

Mayor Stoltz said she was not leaving the multiple relationships with multiple partners: “As Mayor I am here for all our partners.”

It was the operations of RTRO the council was withdrawing from.

“As outlined in my letter, even though we will not be participating in this forum, we are absolutely committed to our relationships and ensuring that council is a good Treaty partner. As a council, we will not leave any relationships with iwi and have never intended to.

“This wasn’t an easy decision for me.”

‘A lost opportunity’

The iwi leaders also expressed frustration at the level of support in the aftermath of the cyclones, with Mr Parata saying, “our whānau and hapu found GDC and central government’s support too slow to help them in their time of need”.

“So our whānau, hapu and iwi led their own response as on-the-ground voluntary civil defence and emergency workers, roading construction workers, emergency accommodation and relief coordinators.

“Their efforts were complemented by runanga staff, Toitu Ngati Porou, Ngati Porou Holding Company and Natis living away from home who responded to the call for action.”

Te Aitanga a Mahaki chair and RTRO member Pene Brown said, “Pimia Wehi, one of our whānau, told us ‘We saw five helicopters fly over as 400-plus of us congregated on Cranswick hill (at Te Karaka) to avoid the rising floodwaters with no communication, shelter, food, or water. They left us to die’. Our iwi stepped in to provide the basics to sustain life that others who were unaffected take for granted and to help whānau into emergency housing.”

Tamanuhiri Tutu Poroporo Trust chair and RTRO member Pauline Hill said, “The Mayor and GDC’s actions in walking away from the Rau Tipu Rau Ora partnership is a lost opportunity to strengthen the firm foundations needed for working together in the current recovery period and in the new post-Resource Management Act reform environment.

“The Mayor and GDC will have to work in partnership with mana whenua, in giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and delivering the requirements of Te Oranga o te Taiao and te Mana o te Wai,” Ms Hill said.

In response to the Toitu Tairāwhiti media release, Mayor Stoltz said she was disappointed by the assertions made that cast doubt over the “strong collective effort” in response to Cyclone Gabrielle.

“I am proud of how our Civil Defence team, community link, iwi and hapu leads, multiple emergency partners and the many volunteers responded and worked tirelessly to support our community. I have received overwhelmingly positive feedback — locally as well as nationally — in regards to our response,” Mayor Stoltz said.

“There will always be areas we can fine-tune, however, criticising the massive collective effort in order to position a forum such as Rau Tipu Rau Ora is not helpful.

“Our council supported me in the decision I made to withdraw from the forum, which over time has seen other members (not just the council) withdraw or leave.

“It is time for us all to look to the future and see how we can support each other to work together to build back our region and support our community to live the lives they deserve.

“We have a massive road to recovery ahead of us with recovery planning and actions well in train and community hui scheduled to kick off in the next while.

“In addition, our Civil Defence team continues to actively support our community so that we are prepared if we need to respond to adverse weather events in the future.”

RTRO is named as a regional leadership or governance group in its documents.

One document says its role “extends beyond Covid, as there is an emphasis on building prosperity and wellbeing, and growing regional capability and resilience to deal with and respond to future crises and opportunities”.

Information The Herald received from a Local Government Official Information Act request to Gisborne District Council states that the RTRO is not a “regional leadership group” and does not have any legal standing.

“It is a group that was brought together specifically for the Covid-19 recovery.”

“Rau Tipu Rau Ora does not have a mandate or power to do things on behalf of the region.”

Some of its members, in particular Health NZ and the council, have legal standing for response and recovery under the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002.

Iwi, Trust Tairāwhiti and Eastland Group all have their own powers and legal standing but not for response and recovery under the CDEM Act 2002.

Mayor Stoltz stands by the mahi RTRO has done.

“I absolutely valued the work that was done by all those who were part of this forum and the purpose it served at the time. We delivered a combined Covid-19 recovery and response plan that pulled all the many plans of different agencies together in one document.”

The Toitu Tairāwhiti media release says RTRO “has an existing governance, management and operational structure that is inclusive of iwi, business, community, environmental groups, government agencies and the council”.

“The Rau Tipu Rau Ora governance group has also agreed to conduct a review of current operations to identify the improvements required to leverage existing and proven capability and bring in any additional capability required to ensure we have an ‘A’ team for the region’s recovery.”

It says RTRO has worked collaboratively on a number of initiatives of importance to the region such as the Tairāwhiti Economic Action Plan, Tairāwhiti Regional Housing Strategy and two Tairāwhiti workforce plans informed by and responsive to regional business and industry requirements.

RTRO has funding from the Government of $1.2 million — $400,000 a year for three years — and $100,000 each from Toitu Tairāwhiti, Trust Tairāwiti and GDC.

RTRO has communicated its intentions to the Minister Responsible for Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery, and local Ministers Kiri Allan and Meka Whaitiri.

See also today's editorial.