‘Milestone For Whanganui’: Māori And Council Draft Agreement Released Early

Thursday, 30 January 2025, 9:44 pm
Article: Moana Ellis - Local Democracy Reporter

A draft relationship agreement between Māori and Whanganui District Council has been made public two weeks earlier than expected.

The release on Wednesday morning follows requests from residents to see the full document rather than the summary previously provided by the council.

Originally the final draft document was to be made public at the council meeting on 13 February, when councillors are to discuss adopting it.

Mayor Andrew Tripe said talks on the relationship agreement between Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiations Trust (WLSNT) and the council had progressed more quickly than expected.

He was pleased the draft document could be released during the community engagement period and ahead of the February meeting.

“Through our information sharing and engagement sessions, we heard a number of people say they’d like to read the agreement to gain a greater understanding of what’s involved.

“Prior to this we had shared a summary of the relationship agreement.

“I’m really pleased we’ve agreed on a draft while engagement is still open so our community has the opportunity to see exactly what the draft says prior to the council meeting on 13 February.”

The relationship agreement – known as Te Tomokanga ki Te Matapihi – is part of the Treaty settlement being negotiated between the Crown and hapū/iwi.

“A decision needs to be made on it before the Treaty settlement process with the Crown can be concluded,” Tripe said.

“This is why the two-month community engagement period had to be scheduled for December and January.”

Treaty settlement negotiations between hapū/iwi and the Crown are confidential until agreement has been reached. Negotiations are still progressing and are likely to conclude early this year.

The relationship agreement is intended to set a platform for joint work between the council and Takapau Whāriki, the proposed post-settlement governance entity for the settlement.

“Developing this world-first agreement is a real milestone for Whanganui,” the mayor said.

“We can see that a one-size-fits-all approach hasn’t worked for many of the social issues our community faces and I’m grateful to the iwi and hapū of Whanganui for their enthusiasm for finding ways to improve life for everyone in our community.”

Tripe said no increase to rates would result from the relationship agreement.

“It’s about us joining together to look at local needs and find local solutions that suit our community.”

WLSNT chair Ken Mair is encouraging residents to go along to drop-in information sessions to hear about how the approach would set a foundation for work that will benefit everyone.

“Through the informal drop-in sessions, it’s been great to hear people’s thoughts and help them understand our intention,” Mair said.

“The purpose of the relationship agreement is to foster collaboration so both parties are working in a strong partnership to strengthen our community.

“While we don’t yet know exactly what initiatives will emerge, we are united by a desire to benefit the hapori (wider community).”

Drop-in sessions will be held on Thursday from 9.30am to 11am on the lakefront lawn at Rotokawau Virginia Lake, weather permitting, and from 4.15pm to 5.45pm at Castlecliff Community Hub and Library.

A survey on the council website is also available for residents to share their thoughts. The engagement period closes at 5pm on Sunday, 2 February.

The relation agreement Te Tomokanga ki Te Matapihi is available on the council’s website.

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