Whanganui iwi urged to vote on Ngā Tāngata Tiaki governance body

Gerrard Albert, chairman of Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui Trust, is not standing for re-election. Photo / Bevan Conley

Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui Trust is encouraging Whanganui iwi members to make sure they vote in its election, which is under way.

Ngā Tāngata Tiaki is the post-settlement governance entity for Whanganui iwi for the purposes of Ruruku Whakatupua - the Whanganui River Deed of Settlement.

Chairman Gerrard Albert is not seeking re-election and only two of the seven trustees are standing again.

The trustees took office in September 2018 with the responsibility of representing the interests of Whanganui iwi as a whole. Their term will expire in September 2021. All seven will vacate their seats, with Siani Walker and Che Wilson standing for re-election.

Voting opened late last month, and iwi members have until noon on August 3 to have their say on who the trustees for the 2021-2024 term will be.

Thirteen Whanganui iwi members have been nominated. They are Kiritahi Firmin, Geoffrey Hipango, Tāwhiao McMaster, Stephanie Osborne, Soraya Peke-Mason, Hayden Potaka, Utiku Potaka, Elijah Pue, Tamahaia Skinner, Sunny Teki-Clark, Hayden Turoa, Siani Walker and Che Wilson.

While the election process itself is managed by Election Services, Ngā Tāngata Tiaki is caretaker of the Whanganui Iwi Register and whānau need to be registered first to vote.

Ngā Tāngata Tiaki data administrator Kimmy Ranginui said the election was carried out every three years and was a big undertaking for the trust.

"What we are doing is asking our people who should be the next wave of trustees for Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui," Ranginui said.

"We have close to 8000 registered adult iwi members who are eligible to vote, and it is important that they have their say."

Ranginui said the trustees would have an important job ahead of them, as the trust continued to build its foundations and moved into a phase of normalisation.

"We are encouraging our people to make sure that they are registered on the Whanganui Iwi Register and that their details are correct, otherwise they won't be able to vote.

"The registration forms are also able to be completed online on our website, so please make sure you are signed up and able to participate."

Some registered members had moved addresses and had not notified the trust to update their records. Anyone who thought they were registered but had not received a voting pack needed to call the office, Ranginui said.

The election result will be known in early September.