Ms Ardern was accompanied yesterday by a number of Cabinet ministers and MPs Kiri Allan and Meka Whaitiri. Their visit was timed to coincide with the annual summit set down in the 2014 Ngati Porou Accord which formalised the government’s ongoing commitment to the iwi.
The Prime Minister said yesterday’s discussions with Ngati Porou covered a future environmental agreement, although there was no time set to conclude the agreement.
Iwi concerns included forestry, deer, possums and goats.
The Prime Minister and her party went on to Te Puia Springs Hospital where a business plan for the redevelopment of hospital facilities and wider health services was discussed.
The business plan is expected to be completed by March 2020.
Ngati Porou Hauora (NPH) was driving the business plan, which had involved the community and was based on their needs.
The region needed better health outcomes, she said.
Life expectancy on the East Coast was lower than the national Maori life expectancy.
Ms Ardern recalled a public meeting in Kaiti in 2017, before she became Labour leader, where the public and community organisations had stressed the need for a locally-based addiction facility.
“It was a really memorable meeting,” she said.
The Government had announced, in its Wellbeing budget, an additional $200 million to be spent on new and existing mental health and addiction facilities.
The only new addiction facility identified at that time was for Tairawhiti.
“The need was so obvious,” said Ms Ardern.
The Tuia 250 commemorations are set to begin on October 5 with the first national opening ceremony, the scheduled arrival of the waka/vaka fleet, which celebrates over 1000 years of voyaging and navigating.
A second national opening ceremony, on October 8, will commemorate the arrival of the Endeavour in 1769.
