Marae funding largely untouched

CHRIS GARDNER
A $33,633 marae maintenance fund set aside by the Hastings District Council went almost untouched last year.
Hastings' new Maori Joint Committee will now hold a workshop to discuss how marae can receive council funds.
Hastings District Council CEO Murray Gilbertson suggested the workshop, from which the public will be excluded, after hearing there had been only two applications to the fund last year.
Customer services team leader Christine Ennis said there was confusion about what the maintenance fund had been created for.
Successful applicants had to meet criteria set by the council and bankroll half of the cost of any project themselves, so long as it fit four pre-determined priorities. Priority one was work required to ensure health and safety while priority four work was to maintain general appearances.
Money which had been promised to marae was still sitting in the account from the 2003/2004 financial year, committee chairman Mick Lester said. No receipts for work had been produced so the money had gone unclaimed.
Vice chairman Des Ratima said the criteria, which previously set by the council was not helpful.
The former chairman of the maintenance fund's sub- committee, Tessa Robin, said there had been little communication between the council and herself. The sub-committee was disbanded last year with the Maori Advisory Standing Committee after the resignation of iwi liaison officer Leon Hawea.
Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said the fund was set up to do some priority one maintenance, necessary under health and safety regulations, and he was concerned it might have been used for other purposes.
Mr Gilbertson said he suspected the fund was under-utilised because of the requirement for part-funding by marae themselves.
Mr Gilbertson suggested the 2003/2004 applicants who had not collected their cash be told that their application was out of time.
He recommended an independent review of the district's marae to establish what their health, safety and maintenance needs were.
"We would do some work and say what the review would cover," Mr Gilbertson said.