Kaipara District Council karakia opens Ruawai meeting

Kaipara Mayor Craig Jepson outside council chambers during a hīkoi over his karakia ban last year. Photo / Tania Whyte

Kaipara’s karakia controversy faded into the background in Ruawai as a councillor opened a meeting with the words: “Kia hora te marino”.

Kaipara District councillor Mark Vincent opened the jointly ratepayer/council co-governed Raupo drainage committee meeting last week with a karakia, after being asked to by committee chairman Ian Beattie who led the meeting.

The drainage committee meeting was also closed with a karakia by committee member Naumai Marae’s Grace Le Gros.

Mayor Craig Jepson banned karakia from being used to open council meetings soon after he was elected in October 2022.

The controversial move hit headlines and the Race Relations Commissioner called for a reversal of the ban at the time.

Jepson banned karakia by getting rid of openings at the start of the meeting.

Instead, a defacto opening takes place in the five minutes before formal meetings start. This is not live-streamed as it happens before the meeting.

Councillors doing the defacto openings can choose to use a karakia if they wish.

Vincent in opening the Raupo drainage committee meeting, used the karakia made available to Kaipara District Council staff and councillors during the council’s previous term, should they wish to use it for meetings or other purposes.

Councillors and ratepayers from the drainage district make up the co-governed statutory committee, with ratepayer representatives elected three yearly.

Raupo drainage committee meetings are held three times a year.

The 8700ha Ruawai-Raupo area’s drainage scheme is administered by the Raupo drainage committee, KDC’s longest-serving committee.

The committee helms the management of the $18 million Ruawai/Raupo drainage scheme, which covers 8700 hectares. It protects land at sea level or lower farmland from the Kaipara Harbour and Northern Wairoa River, with 70km of stopbanks and a network of drains, floodgates and a pump.

The November 16 Raupo drainage committee meeting can be viewed on the council’s YouTube channel.

The meeting karakia, spoken by Vincent:

Kia hora te marino,

Kia whakapapa pounamu te moana

Hei huarahi mā tātou i te rangi nei

Aroha atu, aroha mai

Tātou i a tātou katoa

May peace be widespread,

May the sea be like greenstone

A pathway for all of us this day.

Let us show respect for each other, for one another,

Bind us all together

■ Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air