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RNZ News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Far North Mayor calls on New Zealanders to vote for Māori wards in October
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania (fourth from left) and Deputy Mayor Kelly Stratford to his right, at the council's 2022 pōwhiri at Waitangi for the incoming 2022-2025 council, including its first-time Māori ward politicians (from left)Babe Kapa, Hilda Halkyard-Harawira, Tāmati Rākena and Penetaui Kleskovic. Photo: LDR / NZME Far North Mayor Moko Tepania is calling on all New Zealanders to vote to keep Māori wards at the October local elections polling. On 11 October polling will close at 42 councils on whether to continue with Māori wards. Earlier polls have typically resulted in councils' 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 percent 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 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 percent 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. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
NZ Herald
12-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Far North council to hold independent review on Sweetwater project
In speaking to the motion Radich said he had concerns about the costs of the scheme and the processes used throughout. He said despite numerous requests he had yet to receive the full costs of the scheme so far. Radich said and independent look into the project was needed and despite following the project closely over the past 13 years, he still did not know what had happened to make costs blow out and deadlines to be missed. Figures given to him from council staff since 2021 ranged from $13.5 million to $18.9m, with three different figures - varying by almost $4m - provided just this year. 'Ratepayers have a right to know how much it cost,' Radich said. 'I know a judicial review is expensive, but given the mess, what other option do I have? It's so important to bring out the truth.' ''I'm just seeking clarity,'' he said. A judicial review would cost tens of thousands of dollars - possibly as much as $100,000 - and would take much longer than the independent review. Radich said over the years he had been given different figures on how much the project had costs, with some figures less than what he had been given in previous years, and he believed the costs had now exceeded $20 million. Deputy Mayor Kelly Stratford wanted assurances any review would be 'absolutely independent' as she was unconvinced it would have sufficient integrity if it was carried out internally. 'We're not looking to lay blame, but we need to understand what happened, so we don't make the same mistakes going forward.' Councillor Ann Court said she was concerned about the expense of a review, and the cumulative cost of the council's ad hoc decisions. 'If this is just a 'gotcha' exercise, I don't think it would be a useful spend of ratepayer money.' However, if the review led to useful lessons, it could have merit, Court said. Chief executive Guy Holroyd said a review could cost 'tens and tens of thousands of dollars'. He wanted to gather the information internally, then have it audited by external experts. The independent review would be done immediately and involve council staff gathering the relevant information and passing it on to the independent reviewers, which would include an accountant. The review would then be reported back to the council in July. The council started the Sweetwaters project in 2011, with the scheme gathering pace after the 2020 drought that hit Northland. It was designed to provide clean drinking water for Kaitāia and surrounds and do away with the need to take water from the vulnerable Awanui River. The situation got so bad that water tanks had to be placed in Kaitāia as the Awanui River ran extremely low during the drought. But the project has been dogged with problems, and it has now soaked up more than $17 million of ratepayer money, with the council insiders saying the final cost is likely to top $20m, but the council denies it will reach that level. It missed two deadlines over the past two years, but water was finally delivered into the public water supply in February. Last month Northland Age revealed that the council and contractor face potentially big fines if they are found guilty of illegally discharging more than 90 million litres of groundwater into the Sweetwater Wetland. The council and Ventia are being prosecuted by the country's top environmental watchdog - the Government's Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) under the Resource Management Act (RMA). Each defendant faces a charge each of illegally discharging abstracted groundwater within 100m of the Sweetwater Bore Wetland and two charges each of undertaking earthworks or vegetation clearance within a 10m setback from the same natural wetland. They have entered not guilty pleas to the representative charges - meaning they happened on more than one occasion - and the matter will be back before the court on June 13. The maximum penalties for the offences are a fine of no more than $600,000.
