Te Tatau o Te Arawa partnership voted in three years ago

Councillor Merepeka Raukawa-Tait (left) and mayor Steve Chadwick walk on to Te Papaiouru Marae for the Te Arawa Partnership Board hui-a-iwi in December 2015. Photo/File

Rotorua Lakes Council voted to enter a partnership with Te Tatau o Te Arawa three years ago tomorrow, but it is a journey that began 25 years ago.

The Te Arawa Standing Committee was established to provide Māori input into council decisions in 1993.

The standing committee cost the council a minimum of $200,000 per annum and was made up of six elected iwi representatives, two council-appointed members and the mayor as chairman.

When the council adopted its Rotorua Vision 2030 in late 2013 it included a commitment to developing a new partnership model with Te Arawa.

Te Arawa held rounds of consultation from May to December 2014 and on December 2014 presented a proposal to the council.

At an extraordinary council meeting on May 26, 2015 councillors voted to adopt a modified version of the proposed Te Arawa partnership model which went out for public consultation and attracted more than 1800 submissions.

Te Tatau o Te Arawa became the official partnership board.

The 14-member board is made up of one seat for a kōeke (elder), six for Te Arawa iwi and hapū, two for Ngāti Whakaue, two for land trusts and incorporations, one for a representative of pan Te Arawa entities and two for rangatahi.

Registered Te Arawa descendants were entitled to vote for the members and 2839 people, or 25 per cent, voted.

Te Taru White was elected as the first chairman of the board.

Maximum costs for the council to support Te Tatau o Te Arawa and its activities is set at $250,000 annually, except for Te Arawa elections every three years when it is given $290,000.