Wednesday 5 September

For immediate release

Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi O Ngapuhi - Our Duty & Responsibility is to Ngāpuhi

The Board of Trustees for Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi O Ngāpuhi are looking forward to their upcoming Board meeting, and hearing ‘practical and solutions-based ideas’ from the recently formed group ‘Ngāpuhi Taniwharau’.

‘The Board welcomes positive and constructive ideas and conversations that seek to enhance and celebrate Ngāpuhi identity, solidarity, growth and wellbeing’ says Board Chair, Raniera Tau.

At the June 2018 meeting, the Board welcomed a delegation from the same group, who tabled their concerns.

‘Our Trust Deed outlines our legal and fiduciary responsibility to our people’ says Mr Tau ‘where the Rūnanga must represent the collective interests of Ngāpuhi and in relation to that collective interest, promote and foster unity, co-operation and trust among Ngāpuhi. We take this responsibility very seriously and have acted in the collective interest of Ngāpuhi, promoting unity and co-operation since 1989’.

‘Our Trust Deed also outlines the democratic and transparent process for nomination and election of leadership positions. Anyone of Ngāpuhi descent who is registered may submit their names forward for consideration’.

‘Hapū Rangatiratanga, is and should be up to hapū to decide their role of rangatiratanga, not of the Board’ Mr Tau says.

‘The new claim of protest from the group of over-exploitation of fisheries will be an interesting discussion. We look forward to their proposed workable solutions’.

Lorraine Toki, Ngāpuhi Rūnanga CEO says ‘the Rūnanga remains positive on it’s performance, duty and responsibility to Ngāpuhi, with unqualified financial audit reports for the past 16 years, $840,000 in education scholarships since 2009, funding for marae repairs and upgrades and advocacy across health, social services, industry, education and economic development, to achieve positive outcomes for our people’.

Ends.

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