Trust Tairāwhiti leaves RTRO too

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

A second stakeholder has left Tairāwhiti’s Covid-19 regional response group Rau Tipu Rau Ora (RTRO) in as many months.

In April, economic development agency Trust Tairāwhiti wrote to RTRO announcing its withdrawal, a decision it said it did not take “lightly”.

It follows Gisborne District Council’s departure in March, which drew expressions of disappointment from three of the district’s four iwi leaders.

Trust Tairāwhiti provided Local Democracy Reporting with a summary of the letter it sent to RTRO on April 13 announcing its departure, but would not give a full version.

“Gisborne District Council’s withdrawal from RTRO signalled to the community that RTRO has served the purpose for which it was originally established. On that basis, Trust Tairāwhiti was not in a position to continue to participate in RTRO,” the summary said.

“The trust did not withdraw from RTRO lightly and it should not be construed to signal a lessening of the already existing relationship with iwi chairs and operating teams.”

The summary said trustees were confident they would continue to have “enduring relationships, joint initiatives, work programmes and funding discussions” with iwi.

Confusion has surrounded the role of RTRO in recent times, with both the district council and Trust Tairāwhiti highlighting Covid-19 response as its purpose.

But RTRO director Amohaere Houkamau told Local Democracy Reporting there was foreshadowing as early as 2020 that the group would have a much broader brief than Covid, covering issues such as the environment, economic recovery and building social and community resilience.

The move to set up a regional leadership group was on the table before the pandemic, Houkamau said, and the group had produced a regional housing strategy as recently as June 2022.

Although the council and Trust Tairāwhiti were no longer participating at a governance level, both were still involved at an operational level.

Remaining stakeholders include Ngai Tāmanuhiri Tūtū Poroporo Trust, Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Te Runanganui o Ngāti Porou, Te Whatu Ora Health NZ and Eastland Group.

Rongowhakaata Iwi Trust hadn’t participated for the past two years, Houkamau said, but were yet to formally withdraw from the group.

Following her March decision to leave the group, Mayor Rehette Stoltz received criticism from Māori ward councillors who said she did not have the full support of council in making the decision.

Stoltz responded by saying initial concerns had been raised, but a shared understanding of her decision-making was reached at an informal meeting.

“This is not a forum mandated by a council decision — I was there as the Mayor taking part in a forum. It’s time to move forward” she said.