Far North Mayor Moko Tepania at Waitangi Treaty grounds. Photo: Tipoki Photography via LDR / Northern Advocate
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania will host a new Waitangi feature where national leaders of the local government sector group will attend the celebrations for the first time.
Tepania (Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa) will host a Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) panel discussion on the role of Māori leaders in local government on Monday afternoon. Tepania is LGNZ's Northland board member.
The event will be in Waitangi's forum tent featuring LGNZ president Sam Broughton from Canterbury, co-chair of LGNZ's Te Maruata national collective of Māori in local government Bonita Bigham from Taranaki and Northland Regional Council deputy-chair Tui Shortland (Ngāti Hine, Ngātiwai, Te Rarawa).
Local government's first-time appearance at Waitangi comes as this year's Waitangi celebrations potentially become a flashpoint in relationships between the government and Māori, in the wake of the newly elected coalition government.
"This Waitangi commemoration will involve pivotal discussions that shape the relationship between government and local communities. These conversations cannot take place without local government being represented," Broughton said.
"LGNZ will officially be represented at Waitangi commemorations, recognising the significance of the conversations taking place. It is a privilege to be part of the Waitangi celebrations for the first time," Broughton said.
He said strong sustainable relationships and robust engagement with Māori were essential for delivering good outcomes for both Northland and New Zealand.
Sam Broughton says it is a privilege to be part of Waitangi celebrations for the first time. Photo: Supplied / LGNZ
"Local government has been working on this for decades. We know how fundamental these relationships are to delivering the wide range of services and infrastructure our communities rely on."
Broughton said LGNZ's Waitangi attendance underlined councils' commitment to building authentic partnerships and taking a locally led approach to work with Māori in their rohe across Northland and New Zealand.
"The way relationships and engagement work in Northland can be different from how they work in Canterbury for example. The way councils collaborate with their local hapū and iwi recognises that," he said.
"Decision makers around the council table come and go, but our mana whenua partners are there for the long term. That's why when we are making decisions for the next 30 to 150 years on things like infrastructure and climate change, it makes sense to have deep relationships and understanding of the needs of Māori," Broughton said.
Bonita Bigham says being at Waitangi provides LGNZ with an opportunity to engage with whānau about their concerns and seek solutions. Photo: Supplied / LGNZ
LGNZ Te Maruata co-chair Bonita Bigham said Māori involvement continued to increase across New Zealand's 76 councils.
Māori elected membership on New Zealand's councils has jumped from less than 5 percent to more than 22 percent over the past decade.
"This term, local government has its highest representation of Māori elected members ever," Bigham said.
"It's taken a lot of work to get as far as this, but we still have some way to go to make sure all council tables across New Zealand reflect the communities they serve.
"Being at Waitangi provides us with a genuine opportunity to engage with our whānau about their concerns and collaboratively seek solutions."
The LGNZ delegation will participate in a series of events at Waitangi, also including the traditional dawn service on 6 February and informal discussions with government politicians and iwi leaders during the celebrations.
LGNZ is a council membership organisation, supporting and advocating for councils and their communities.
It is involved in policy, reforms, programmes and advocacy as well as providing advice, consultancy and training to councils and their staff.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.