Post 2016 elections, extensive involvement in council planning workshops, signoff of Te Tatau's three-year strategic and a communication plan, assignment of Te Tatau members to six council portfolio committees and co-ordination and development of a Te Arawa submission on the Vision 2030 refresh.
What is yet to be done?
Bedding our members into their assigned portfolios and following up on key actions in our strategic plan will be a priority. This includes ensuring that expectations under the partnership agreement are achieved, maintaining ongoing participation in key council planning processes, progressing the vision 2030 discussions and establishing a longer term Te Arawa vision.
Do you think local Maori are happier with this model than Te Arawa standing committee?
Absolutely. While we are still in the early phases of the new partnership model, feedback that we have received from Te Arawa at our stakeholder meetings and responses to Te Arawa's vision 2030 submission coupled with regular monthly panui has been very positive. The Te Arawa standing committee had no teeth and no partnership foundation to work from. We have a signed partnership agreement.
Did you have a recent hui with Te Arawa? What was that for?
We had a Te Arawa stakeholder meeting last month, one of several we intend to hold throughout the year. This was to provide an update on activities and achievements to date, to share our strategic and communications plan for the next three years and to facilitate discussions and feedback on the council's Vision 2030 refresh. The updates and Vision 2030 work was well received and has culminated in a high quality Te Arawa submission being made.
How long has the board's Facebook page been going?
The Facebook page is a key part of our communication strategy which was developed in February this year. The ongoing use of social media will be a key communication tool along with monthly panui to ensure Te Arawa are kept fully informed of key issues, progress and events.
Why was it set up?
To maximise the widest possible reach to Te Arawa and to initiate and engage online discussions on key issues. While face-to-face communications through hui will always be a mainstay of our engagement process, use of online technology including the development and use of apps will remain an important communication feature for Te Tatau. Our rangatahi are particularly responsive to this mode of communication.
Who operates it?
We hold regular meetings with our communications consultant to discuss issues, achievements for the month. She is of Te Arawa descent and familiar with these technologies and the range of Te Arawa audiences that we need to reach. We also have a media policy that is a key element of the communications plan.
How did your Facebook page help during the recent Cyclone Cook warnings?
This was a classic example where an impromptu two minutes on a mobile phone reached an audience of 10,300 people within a few hours of being put online. The storm was predicted to hit within a 12-hour period so urgency was important. It cost nothing but two minutes of filming using a mobile phone. This is the power and value of online technology. We will continue to use this as a vital part of future communications. It was raw but effective.
Te Tatau o Te Arawa board
- Signed partnership agreement with Rotorua Lakes Council in December 2015
- Has 14 members who were voted on by Te Arawa
- Board members have voting rights on council committees
- Replaces the former Te Arawa standing committee, which advised the council but had no voting rights
- Attracted significant opposition from certain groups within Rotorua that opposed the board members having voting rights without being voted in by all members of the public
- The partnership won the Martin Jenkins Judges' Choice Award for Outstanding Value and Service Delivery in July last year.
- Next elections October 2019
