How Whanganui council adopts ‘values-based approach’ in work with Māori

Cecelia Kumeroa's cultural narratives and environmental artwork focusing on kaitiakitanga and Te Awa Tupua, the Whanganui River system. The mango (shark) signifies the mana of local hapū Ngāti Tumango. Photo / Moana Ellis

Whanganui council staff are enjoying using a “values-based approach” when working with Māori, the chief executive says.

David Langford said partnerships have grown from working closely with the district’s iwi and Whanganui River hapū on deciding how to spend $6 million of government funding from the ditched Three Waters reform support package.

“I can speak for all of the staff at council when I say we’re really enjoying the process of working with hapū,” Langford said.

The council put Tupua Te Kawa, the concepts associated with Te Awa Tupua (the Whanganui River system), alongside the council’s organisational values and those put forward by the [Whanganui] Land Settlement Negotiations Trust, which is negotiating a Treaty of Waitangi settlement with the Crown.

“We’re very deliberately taking a values-based approach to the work ... trying to ensure we honour all of the values in the way we work and with the vision that we deliver, and really locking those things in place,” Langford said.

“It’s been an interesting process seeing how the council’s values can line up alongside and they all work together. They’re different words for things that are very similar or the same thing.

“Our community can expect to see more of that coming through, because we want to make sure the whole of the community understands Te Awa Tupua and really commits to living and breathing those kawa.”

Langford said the environment is at the forefront of community thinking.

“As we talk to the community and ask them what they think the priorities should be, what we’re seeing early on is a really strong sense that looking after the environment needs to be the most important priority … that reciprocal responsibility to look after the river so that it looks after us.

“We’ve got a big, hard reset to do on how we live our day-to-day lives. We’ve clearly as a whole world been neglecting that value for decades if not hundreds of years, and we’re going to be paying the price for it with rising sea levels, coastal erosion, storms, flooding.”

Part of the $6m spend is going towards the council’s work with iwi and hapū on a new vision for Whanganui.

“It’s an exciting piece of work. We’ve got the opportunity to really confirm what it means to live in and come from Whanganui and create that sense of identity that cuts across the whole community.

“I fully expect we’ll be placing the awa right at the centre of what that vision is, because it’s such a significant piece of our landscape and our day-to-day lives.

“But also, how do we want to grow and develop? What do we want Whanganui to look and feel like in 30 years’ time? It gives us an opportunity to have some really bold dreams.

“How do we get there? What are the things we need to be doing over the next five to six years? And how can council enable the community to get moving with our budgets and our long-term plans?”

Langford said there was widening community support for work the council was doing to include all parts of the community.

“As we talk to the community through our engagement surveys, we’re already seeing a really good, strong response from our community.

“Councils aren’t about providing core infrastructure anymore – our core purpose is to look after the wellbeing of the community – so this is the right way to work.

“We want to engage the community around how we make Whanganui a great place to live, build social connection and cohesion and bring the whole community together so that people can feel comfortable being themselves, no matter what their whakapapa or background.”

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