The council and Mayor Steve Chadwick committed themselves to establishing a better relationship with Te Arawa shortly after Mrs Chadwick was elected mayor in October, 2013. Mrs Chadwick campaigned on this during the election.
After her election, members of the council's former Te Arawa Standing Committee were tasked with coming up with a better way to engage with the council and employed Auckland-based solicitor Tama Hovell to come up with the initial proposal at a cost of $15,000.
The model was then adapted and changed over the course of about 12 months during a series of hui-a-iwi (tribal meetings) held throughout the district and attended by Te Arawa people before it was presented to the council at a meeting on December 18 last year.
The council is bound by the Local Government Act to come up with better ways to engage with iwi, as are all councils in the country.
The council has since released the proposal for public consultation which is now under way and finishes on April 17.
The proposed model: Te Arawa Partnership Model
Rotorua Lakes Council proposes to enable representatives nominated by Te Arawa to actively participate in council decision-making by appointing:
- Two representatives of Te Arawa as full voting members of its Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee; and two representatives of Te Arawa as full voting members of its Operations and Monitoring Committee; and
- One representative of Te Arawa as a non-voting member of its CEO Performance Committee; and
- One suitably qualified representative nominated by Te Arawa as commissioner to all statutory hearing committees (typically comprising three commissioners) determining notified resource consent applications under the Resource Management Act 1991; and
- Ad hoc non-voting representatives nominated by Te Arawa on strategic working groups as and when required by the council.
An independent board, elected by the Te Arawa community, will be established in collaboration with the council. The board will be elected by way of an "at large" Te Arawa election, and it will represent different sectors of the wider Te Arawa community. Rangatahi two seats, Pukenga Koeke/Kaumatua one seat, Ngati Whakaue two seats, other Te Arawa iwi six seats, land trusts and incorporations two seats, Pan-Te Arawa entities one seat, to a maximum of 14 members. In the future an additional seat may be made available for matawaka/taura here (Maori from other iwi resident in Rotorua).
The board will nominate, for council's consideration, representatives to be members of the various committees.
While the composition of its committees is a matter for council to determine, council will accept the board's nominations provided it is satisfied that the nominees have the necessary skills, attributes and knowledge to assist the work of the respective committee.
Alternative options to the proposed model
Status quo: Re-establish the Te Arawa Standing Committee (TASC) which was set up in 1993 to advise the council on matters relating to iwi.
Modified Model: The model proposed by Te Arawa but representatives have no voting rights on Strategy, Policy & Finance Committee or the Operations & Monitoring Committee.
No formal partnership: No framework is provided to replace the Te Arawa Standing Committee. This approach acknowledges and extends various arrangements currently in place including Memorandums of Understanding with local hapu and iwi and other statutory and non-statutory (including informal) relationships with Te Arawa marae, iwi and other entities.
Costs
- The proposed model: Between $250,000 and $290,000 per annum.
- Modified model: Between $250,000 and $290,000 per annum.
- Te Arawa Standing Committee: a minimum of $200,000 per annum.
- No partnership: Cost unknown.
