Te Tatau o Te Arawa | ELECTIONS 2019

Ngā mihi manahau,
He kupu maimai aroha tēnei ki ō tātau mate kua tae ki te kauawhitanga a Hine-nui-te-pō. 
Ki a tātau te hunga ora e noho ana i raro i te maru o Te Arawa Waka; 'Mai Maketū ki Tongariro' - kia ora tātau. 

Te Tatau o Te Arawa is calling for nominees to serve on its board. The board was elected by iwi three years ago, following a call to Rotorua Lakes Council for a true and meaningful partnership. In this month’s pānui, we focus on the upcoming election.

Jude Pani | Manahautū, Te Tatau o Te Arawa 

Te Tatau manahautū (executive officer), Jude Pani, says the Te Arawa partnership with Rotorua Lakes Council isn’t rooted in legislation but is a response to the call from local iwi. 
“Te Tatau o Te Arawa is not compartmentalised as a separate committee from the main committees of the council. Te Tatau members are instead appointed on these committees with decision-making and voting rights on council’s main projects. Instead of sitting outside, we’re now inside. And while there’s still room for improvement, it’s certainly a huge leap forward from what we’ve had in the past.”
Some board members have already confirmed they’ll not be standing for re-election, and Jude would like to give a big mihi to them for the outstanding work they’ve achieved over the past three years.
“All board members bring a different level of thinking, intellect and behaviour to the council governance environment. When Ana Morrison resigned from her role on council’s Strategy, Policy & Finance Committee when she took on a new role at Toi Ohomai we were able to replace her with another board member with an equally impressive set of capabilities.” 

“Being able to replace one member with another highly skilled member was exceptional and demonstrated to the council the calibre of all Te Tatau members and the expertise they bring.”

Jude says the mahi of the Te Tatau o Te Arawa board continues to impress her. 
“As we head into the new triennium, we’re at a launching place for embedding the work done by these pioneers over the past three years. Our main streams of work under the ‘Te Arawa E’ kaupapa are the Te Arawa vision, Mana whenua capability project and Rotorua Reorua, which we will continue to focus on.”
“Rotorua Reorua is a Te Tatau success story. However, there are several council-led initiatives wouldn’t have progressed to where they have if it wasn’t for the partnership with Te Tatau. The partnership is role modelling to the rest of the country a different approach for local government to work with iwi.”

Her Worship Steve Chadwick | Mayor of Rotorua

Rotorua mayor, Steve Chadwick, believes Te Tatau o Te Arawa is “walking-the-talk” when it comes to developing the vision of our city.
She says the partnership between the two bodies is fundamental to the way the council works.
“The partnership has to show it’s very deep and has an impact on results – and it certainly has. The participation of Te Tatau members as committee members has been outstanding. Their contribution has at times shaken us to look at things entirely differently.”
She says a classic example was with the wastewater treatment plant upgrade, where the contribution from the Te Tatau member was on cultural appropriateness of the point of discharge of treated recovered water.
“I thought that was outstanding. As a result, the process was slowed down to look at a solution, which they brought back to the table. It’s showing us that it’s not just about prodding us as members of the committee, but about awakening our awareness and sensitivity, and helping to find a solution which is good for the entire district.” 
The preparedness and confidence of the Te Tatau committee members is something the mayor has enjoyed. She says it’s clear they’ve got together before a committee meeting to discuss the agenda and identify the Te Tatau perspective to place at the council table.
“They’re walking-the-talk with us in terms of refreshing our Vision 2030. They’ve actively contributed and participated in workshops on the document’s strengths and weaknesses. It’s changed the way we do things, along with having the lakes and rural community boards there. We really do better reflect our community now.”
The mayor says it’s critical for local iwi to vote in the upcoming Te Tatau o Te Arawa election.

"It’s incredibly important this partnership cannot be undone. The model of engagement of Te Tatau will be reviewed after the election but it’s important we have a strong board who can feed members into council processes." 

“There’s a clear positioning from some people standing for council in the next local government election that they think there’s another way, and so it could be lost. That worries me enormously because we’ve got local authorities from around the country saying, ‘you’ve got a partnership board, how fantastic, how do we start that journey?’. They think we’re there for the long-haul, but the structure and the process may not be the same.
“So voting is the challenging thing. There’s going to be an election for the Te Tatau board, and then an election for council. Both are very important, and it’s hard because most of us on the general role are just voting once, but iwi is expected to vote twice. It raises awareness for them, ‘if I vote for Te Tatau, do I have to bother voting in the local body election?’. Oh yes, you do. 
"We’re the envy of so many councils. The fact that Hastings has followed, to other councils saying they know they’re missing out, and asking us how they can get here. We’ve got to value the tool we’ve got and vote for it.”

Guy Kingi | Chair, Ōhinemutu Development Working Group

Te Tatau o Te Arawa first approached the Ōhinemutu Development Working Group (ODWG) in 2018 to discuss the possibility of using Ōhinemutu as a test case to develop a Matauranga Māori Town Planning Application Tool. 
The prototype planned for Ōhinemutu is to assist Māori communities put in place values and processes which reflect their tikanga and kawa. 
The group’s chair, Mokonuiarangi (Guy) Kingi, Ngāti Whakaue, says Te Tatau o Te Arawa (TTOTA) has been an immense help to the ODWG since commencing work on the project.
“Te Tatau o Te Arawa has worked with the group from that day forward, and the assistance and technical advice they’ve given has been excellent. Te Tatau has provided support and advice when dealing with the council, providing an insight on council operations and processes, and continue to provide invaluable support to-date.”
TTOTA have provided the ODWG use of its large boardroom for hui with the organisations the group regularly deal with, such as Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Te Arawa Lakes Trust, and Rotorua Lakes Council. 

“The working group has had tremendous support – not only from our Ngāti Whakaue representatives, but all representatives on the board. The support that has been shown towards the working group and Ngāti Whakaue, has an ongoing effect for Te Arawa as a whole.”

Guy encourages local iwi to participate in the upcoming election, whether it’s standing as a candidate or by voting. 
“Te Tatau o Te Arawa provides a good opportunity for Te Arawa to have a voice on council. Having a voice on Council representing tangata whenua has developed from the early days of the Te Arawa Standing Committee. Now Te Tatau has a more influential presence around the council’s decision-making committees.”  
Guy says respect comes from non-Māori Councillors and Executive staff, which can only increase as Te Tatau begin to have more input on matters that affect Te Arawa. 
“The more our people participate in the voting process, the more the voice of Te Arawa will be heard. This will send a message to the council and Rotorua as a whole, that we, as tangata whenua, have a powerful voice for Rotorua. It will show that Te Arawa are politically active, and that’s the best message to get out there. 
“What I’d like to see in the future is a more level playing field – a true partnership, based on the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi – where Te Arawa can be a part of the decision-making process on issues that affect Te Arawa and the rohe as a whole.
“The only way that will happen is if our people get out there, voice their opinion, put up our candidates, and vote.”

Ana Morrison | Outgoing Te Tatau Board Member

Outgoing Te Tatau board member, Ana Morrison, says it’s been great to help shape a new model and new way of thinking for a big organisation, such as a local government. 
“We’ve done quite good in terms of where we started. If we remember, the catalyst for its set-up was the wastewater case. It’s cool to see a shift in the mindset of the people working there, and the systems and policies they’re now starting to put in place. We’re seeing behavioural change through the areas we’ve interacted with.”
Ana says councils often make decisions that rub-up against hapū rights and rangatiratanga.

“Something our board was clear on, was we weren’t there to usurp the rangatiratanga, hapū or Te Arawa iwi."

Being able to make it clear to the council that there are layers of treaty partnership-based rights is an ongoing educational learning. It’s the start of what might be an inter-generational change but if we look back over the last four years, we’ve made some good shifts and it’s only going to get better.”
She has enjoyed the diversity of the board and says it’s important there is a lot of environmental resource management knowledge among its members.
“While it was a privilege being a foundation board member, it’s a big obligation and responsibility in terms of time, availability, and being able to represent the views of such a large group (Te Arawa) in a formal government structure.
“In terms of technical skills, people with knowledge about infrastructure, resource management and water – along with cultural competency, which is just a given – would be really useful. These are going to be the big areas of development for our region in the future, and those types of skill-sets would add a lot of value to the board.
​“It’s a good challenge and a great opportunity for people who are interested in policy and influencing local government from a community approach – things that actually mean a lot to people who live in the region – and influencing change which makes a real-life difference for families living in Rotorua.”

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

• There are 14 trustee positions available for representatives of the following sectors of Te Arawa (within Rotorua District):

        - Koeke (1)
        - Rangatahi (2) 
        - Ngāti Whakaue (2)
        - Te Arawa Iwi / Hapū (6)
        - Te Arawa Land Trusts & Incorporations (2)
        - Pan-Te Arawa Entities (1).

• Nominations open 15 May 2019.
• Nomination forms can be obtained from Te Tatau o Te Arawa or downloaded from www.tetatau.nz. They must be completed and returned to the Deputy Returning Officer at the address below, no later than 12 noon, Wednesday 19 June, 2019.
• Anyone wishing to vote in the Te Tatau o Te Arawa Board election must:

        - Be enrolled on the Te Arawa Lakes Trust Register and electoral roll.
        - Be 18 years of age or over.

• Voting papers are distributed 17 July 2019.
• The election will be carried out by postal and internet voting.  
• Voting closes 12 noon, Friday 9 August 2019.