Latest news with #FarNortherners
Scoop
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania Undecided On Future As Parliament Calls Grow
Article – RNZ Far North Mayor Moko Tepania has yet to decide if he'll seek a second term, with multiple political parties trying to convince him to run for Parliament instead. A high-profile Northland mayor has yet to decide if he'll seek a second term, with multiple political parties trying to convince him to run for Parliament instead. Far North Mayor Moko Tepania said he would make the call about seeking re-election in the next few weeks after talking it over with whānau. Tepania confirmed he'd also been shoulder-tapped by a number of parties about entering national politics – but said he wasn't considering a tilt at Parliament 'at this point'. Tepania was just 31 when he was elected Northland's youngest mayor in 2022. He was also the Far North's first Māori mayor. The Kaikohe-based te reo teacher, who entered local politics as a councillor in 2019, said he was still considering whether to contest the mayoralty for a second time. 'It's such a big decision, so it's not one I want to take lightly … and it's not one that I can make on my own, because if I run again, and I get it, it's not just me that's going to be carrying the responsibilities of being there, but it's also my whānau by extension. So it's something that we are still giving careful consideration to.' Tepania said he decided to run for mayor in 2022 around the same time of year, Matariki and Puanga. 'It's a really good time to plan ahead, so I'm looking forward to making a decision in the next couple of weeks. If that decision is yes, Far Northerners are going to have me 110 percent for not only the campaign but, if successful, as mayor for the next three years.' Asked if he was considering a run at Parliament, Tepania said he would do it only if he was in 'a position of power to see transformative change for the people of the Far North'. 'Yes, I've been shoulder-tapped by a number of parties, but I wouldn't be looking to go to Wellington at this point. I wouldn't close any doors, of course. But for me, this decision is about the people of the Far North and whether or not I will run to be the mayor again.' One thing Tepania didn't have to mull over was his support for Māori wards. He was already campaigning for retention of the district's four-seat Ngā Tai o Tokerau ward, with its future to be decided in a government-mandated referendum held alongside the local elections in October. While Māori wards had failed to win majority support in past polls – including in the Far North in 2015 – he believed this time would be different, because during the past three years Far Northerners had seen the 'incredibly positive benefits' for council decision-making and communities. Tepania said it was 'really unfortunate' that only the Māori ward was subject to a binding poll, and none of the council's 16 other wards or community board subdivisions. Nominations for the upcoming local elections opened on 4 July and a list of candidates confirmed so far had been expected on 7 July. However, the Far North District Council said publication had been delayed because Election Services had to check the candidates' eligibility first. In 2022, veteran councillor Ann Court led the race to be Far North mayor in the initial election-night count, but Tepania pulled ahead as special votes were counted. The final result put Tepania on 7805 votes to Court's 7362. Court served as deputy mayor when both Wayne Brown and John Carter were mayors. She told RNZ she would not contest the mayoralty but would seek re-election as a councillor. Former Horowhenua Mayor Michael Feyen, who now lives in the Far North, has previously stated he wanted to put his hat in the ring. Feyen confirmed to RNZ he would stand for the council but had yet to decide on the mayoralty. He has been a city councillor in Palmerston North and was a candidate for the New Zealand Loyal Party in the 2023 general election. Northland has two other mayoral contests to look forward to, at least one of which will see a changing of the guard. In the Kaipara District, Mayor Craig Jepson said he would seek re-election only as a councillor representing his home town of Mangawhai. He called on his supporters to back deputy mayor Jonathan Larsen as his successor. Jepson made national headlines early in his term by removing karakia from council meetings. His council was also the first in the country to abolish its Māori ward following a law change in 2024. High-profile iwi and business leader Snow Tane has also put his hand up for the Kaipara mayoralty. Currently general manager of Dargaville-based Te Roroa Development Group, Tane's previous career was in supermarket management. In the Whangārei District, sitting mayor Vince Cocurullo confirmed to RNZ he would seek another three-year term. First-term councillor Marie Olsen has also stated she would contest the mayoralty. Earlier this year a Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll found Tepania was the most popular mayor in New Zealand and Jepson the third most popular, despite their diametrically opposing positions. However, the poll had a large margin of error due to the small sample sizes. Tepania had a 39 percent approval rating, with an almost 5 percent margin of error, while Jepson had a 35 percent approval rating with an almost 10 percent margin of error. Nominations for the mayoralty, council and community boards close at noon on 1 August. Candidates will be announced on 8 August. Voting in the postal ballot will take place between 9 September and 11 October, when preliminary results will be announced.
Scoop
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania Undecided On Future As Parliament Calls Grow
A high-profile Northland mayor has yet to decide if he'll seek a second term, with multiple political parties trying to convince him to run for Parliament instead. Far North Mayor Moko Tepania said he would make the call about seeking re-election in the next few weeks after talking it over with whānau. Tepania confirmed he'd also been shoulder-tapped by a number of parties about entering national politics - but said he wasn't considering a tilt at Parliament "at this point". Tepania was just 31 when he was elected Northland's youngest mayor in 2022. He was also the Far North's first Māori mayor. The Kaikohe-based te reo teacher, who entered local politics as a councillor in 2019, said he was still considering whether to contest the mayoralty for a second time. "It's such a big decision, so it's not one I want to take lightly ... and it's not one that I can make on my own, because if I run again, and I get it, it's not just me that's going to be carrying the responsibilities of being there, but it's also my whānau by extension. So it's something that we are still giving careful consideration to." Tepania said he decided to run for mayor in 2022 around the same time of year, Matariki and Puanga. "It's a really good time to plan ahead, so I'm looking forward to making a decision in the next couple of weeks. If that decision is yes, Far Northerners are going to have me 110 percent for not only the campaign but, if successful, as mayor for the next three years." Asked if he was considering a run at Parliament, Tepania said he would do it only if he was in "a position of power to see transformative change for the people of the Far North". "Yes, I've been shoulder-tapped by a number of parties, but I wouldn't be looking to go to Wellington at this point. I wouldn't close any doors, of course. But for me, this decision is about the people of the Far North and whether or not I will run to be the mayor again." One thing Tepania didn't have to mull over was his support for Māori wards. He was already campaigning for retention of the district's four-seat Ngā Tai o Tokerau ward, with its future to be decided in a government-mandated referendum held alongside the local elections in October. While Māori wards had failed to win majority support in past polls - including in the Far North in 2015 - he believed this time would be different, because during the past three years Far Northerners had seen the "incredibly positive benefits" for council decision-making and communities. Tepania said it was "really unfortunate" that only the Māori ward was subject to a binding poll, and none of the council's 16 other wards or community board subdivisions. Nominations for the upcoming local elections opened on 4 July and a list of candidates confirmed so far had been expected on 7 July. However, the Far North District Council said publication had been delayed because Election Services had to check the candidates' eligibility first. In 2022, veteran councillor Ann Court led the race to be Far North mayor in the initial election-night count, but Tepania pulled ahead as special votes were counted. The final result put Tepania on 7805 votes to Court's 7362. Court served as deputy mayor when both Wayne Brown and John Carter were mayors. She told RNZ she would not contest the mayoralty but would seek re-election as a councillor. Former Horowhenua Mayor Michael Feyen, who now lives in the Far North, has previously stated he wanted to put his hat in the ring. Feyen confirmed to RNZ he would stand for the council but had yet to decide on the mayoralty. He has been a city councillor in Palmerston North and was a candidate for the New Zealand Loyal Party in the 2023 general election. Northland has two other mayoral contests to look forward to, at least one of which will see a changing of the guard. In the Kaipara District, Mayor Craig Jepson said he would seek re-election only as a councillor representing his home town of Mangawhai. He called on his supporters to back deputy mayor Jonathan Larsen as his successor. Jepson made national headlines early in his term by removing karakia from council meetings. His council was also the first in the country to abolish its Māori ward following a law change in 2024. High-profile iwi and business leader Snow Tane has also put his hand up for the Kaipara mayoralty. Currently general manager of Dargaville-based Te Roroa Development Group, Tane's previous career was in supermarket management. In the Whangārei District, sitting mayor Vince Cocurullo confirmed to RNZ he would seek another three-year term. First-term councillor Marie Olsen has also stated she would contest the mayoralty. Earlier this year a Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll found Tepania was the most popular mayor in New Zealand and Jepson the third most popular, despite their diametrically opposing positions. However, the poll had a large margin of error due to the small sample sizes. Tepania had a 39 percent approval rating, with an almost 5 percent margin of error, while Jepson had a 35 percent approval rating with an almost 10 percent margin of error. Nominations for the mayoralty, council and community boards close at noon on 1 August. Candidates will be announced on 8 August. Voting in the postal ballot will take place between 9 September and 11 October, when preliminary results will be announced.
Scoop
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Far North Mayor Calls On New Zealanders To Vote For Māori Wards In October
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania is calling on all New Zealanders to vote to keep Māori wards at the October local elections polling. On October 11 polling will close at 42 councils on whether to continue with Māori wards. Earlier polls have typically resulted in councils' (SUBS: correct plural apostrophe) Māori ward plans being canned. But the Far North mayor has predicted that will change, because in places like his district people have had a chance to see their Māori wards in action. Tepania predicts Far Northerners will poll in favour of keeping Far North District Council (FNDC)'s Ngā Tai o Tokerau Maori ward and Northland Regional Council (NRC)'s Te Raki Māori constituency. 'I am optimistic that because of (Te Tai Tokerau's) Waitangi, the home of the nation where He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni /Declaration of Independence of New Zealand and Te Tiriti o Waitangi were signed, there'll be a positive vote by electors to keep our Māori ward. 'If anywhere in New Zealand can do it, we can,' Tepania said. Almost 52% of people in the Far North identify as Māori, one of New Zealand's highest percentages. Tepania, who is Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ)'s Northland board member, said he did not agree with the requirement for his council to have to poll electors about its Māori ward. The council in September said it was not a foregone conclusion (SUBS: hyperlink not a forgone conclusion ) polling would happen after it chose to recommit to its Māori ward. FNDC first polled its electors on setting up a Māori ward during a 2015 representation review. Two-thirds of electors voted against this, one-third for. The binding poll precluded the establishment of a Māori ward in the following two elections - 2016 and 2019. Tepania said that rejection was because Far Northerners had not had a chance to see a Māori ward in action. That had changed with Ngā Tai o Tokerau starting life three years ago. The council's first term Māori ward had surpassed expectations. He claimed there were many achievements that had been made - for all constituents - with the presence of the ward and its four councillors. Māori ward councillors' connections into the community had helped make significant infrastructure improvements for all in the Far North, he said. Examples of this included working towards resolving longstanding Kaitāia Airport land ownership issues. Māori ward Cr Hilda Halkyard-Harawira had received an award from LGNZ's Te Maruata Māori council politicians' group for her mahi including the airport where she championed the return of the land the airport sits on to Ngāi Takoto and Te Pātu, and Government funding She'd also had a key role in working towards a more environmentally and culturally sustainable solution to address growing local community concerns over wastewater discharging into Hokianga Harbour, Tepania said. Māori ward Cr Tāmati Rākena had played a key role in the North Hokianga roading working group, successfully dealing with the Panguru and Motuti slips. The group was formally set up in 2024 between the council and mana whenua to address local roading issues. Northland Māori ward politicians currently make up 20% of the region's elected representatives. Tepania said Māori wards went towards council meeting its requirements to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi under the Local Government Act. Polling outcomes will take effect from the 2028 local elections, with the decision being binding for the 2028 and 2031 elections. Northlanders across Far North District Council (FNDC), Whangārei District Council (WDC) and Northland Regional Council (NRC) are among electors at 42 councils who will get to have their say in the binding poll with the following words: 'I vote to keep the Māori ward / constituency' 'I vote to remove the Māori ward / constituency' FNDC's Cr Kapa said Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori ward had given Māori a voice they'd not had previously. He said it offered a path inside the council chamber for those who had sat outside. And it brought new opportunity for Māori outside traditional leadership roles to take part. He said it was important all local election voters in the Far North voted and also had their polling say in October. Kapa said the council was now working more closely with Northland iwi as a result of the new electoral areas. Its Te Pae o Uta policy underpinning how the council included Te Ao Māori in its operations had boosted responsiveness to the local community. Te Kahu o Taonui (Northland Iwi Chairs Forum) member Pita Tipene co-chaired the council's Te Kauaka Māori committee.
