Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party

9 December 2021

Tuhituhi o ngā Mahi O Te Kāhui Māori O Taitokerau

Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party Record of Actions

Meeting held via audio visual link (Zoom)

on Thursday 9 December 2021, commencing at 11.00am - 3.00pm

Tuhinga (Present):

Co-Chair, Marty Robinson

Co-Chair, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Hine, Pita Tipene

Councillor Justin Blaikie

Councillor Jack Craw

Councillor Colin Kitchen

Councillor Amy Macdonald

Councillor Penny Smart

Councillor Rick Stolwerk

Councillor Joce Yeoman

Councillor Terry Archer

Ngātiwai Trust Board, William Sullivan

Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust Board, Juliane Chetham

Te Parawhau Hapū Authority Charitable Trust, Mira Norris

Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-O-Ngāpuhi, Janelle Beazley

Te Rūnanga O Ngāti Rehia, Nora Rameka

Te Uri o Hau Settlement Trust, Georgina Connelly

Te Waiāriki, Ngāti Korora, Ngāti Taka Hapū Iwi Trust, Waimarie Kingi

Te Whakaminenga O Te Hikutu Hapu-Whanau, Lynette Wharerau

Te Whakapiko Hapū, Rowan Tautari

I Tae Mai (In Attendance):

Huihuinga i te katoa (Full Meeting)

Pou Manawhakahaere – GM Governance and Engagement

Kaiārahi Tikanga Māori  

Kaiārahi Kaupapa Maori

PA/Team Admin, Governance and Engagement

Huihuinga i te wahanga (Part Meeting)

Chief Executive Officer

Pou Tiaki Taiao - GM Environmental Services

Policy and Planning Manager

Strategic Policy Specialist

Kaiārahi Tikanga Māori

Governance Support Specialist

Marketing and Engagement Manager

Policy Specialist

Biodiversity Manager

Economic Policy Advisor

Economist

Policy Specialist

Acting CEO, Northland Inc

Kaiwhakahaere – GM Māori, Northland Inc

The formal meeting commenced at 11.05am.

Karakia / Whakatau

Co-Chair Pita Tipene provided the opening karakia for the meeting in the tāngata whenua members caucus session prior to the meeting, with the mihi from Kaiārahi Tikanga Māori, Robert Nathan.

Ngā Mahi Whakapai/Housekeeping (Item 1.0)

Ngā Whakapahā/Apologies (Item 2.0)

Te Rūnanga o Te Rarawa, Rihari Dargaville

Ngāti Kuta, Patukeha, Michelle Elboz

Ngāti Tara, Victor Holloway

Te Rūnanga O Ngāti Whātua, Alan Riwaka

Te Rūnanga Nui o Te Aupōuri, Niki Conrad

Te Roroa, Thomas Hohaia

Te Rūnanga O Whāingaroa, Hoki Tua

Ngāti Hau, Mike Kake

Nga whakapuakanga (Declarations of Conflicts of Interest) (Item 3.0)

It was advised that members should make declarations item-by-item as the meeting progressed.

Record of Actions – 14 October 2021 (Item 4.1)

It was agreed that the Record of Actions was an accurate reflection of the meeting. An amendment was made, however, to the third action for Item 4.9 by omitting the words “tāngata whenua” to read “If time does not allow for the draft to be discussed at a MTAG meeting, the draft submission shall be circulated to all tāngata whenua TTMAC members by email for comment.”

Agreed action points: Nil.

Receipt of Action Sheet (Item 4.2)

The Action Sheet was received.

Agreed action points: Nil.

Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party Strategic Intent 2021 - 2040 (Item 4.3)

The Strategic Intent is a long-term aspirational document. The next steps are for it to be workshopped with council (February 2022) and then taken to a council meeting.

Agreed action points:

For staff to workshop the Strategic Intent with council early in 2022, and then take it to a formal council meeting.

Health Check update (Item 4.4)

The Kaiāwhina Kaupapa Māori presented an update on the status of the 2021 Treaty Health Check. Key points included the reasons for and funding of the Treaty Health Check through the Long-Term Plan, why the Te Arawhiti framework was selected, and the amended draft process and timeline was included in the report for endorsement. Jane Kelsey was put forward as a possible independent assessor for the Health Check, or speaker at a future workshop.

Agreed action points:

· That the amended 2021/22 Treaty Health Check process/timeline endorsed by members goes to council for their consideration

· That staff to continue to work with the Māori Technical Advisory Group to provide direction and advice as provided in the paper’s process and timeline utilising the Te Arawhiti Māori Crown relations capability framework.

Meeting schedule for 2022 (Item 4.5)

The meeting dates for Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party for 2022 were approved. The dates follow the existing schedule of meeting the second Thursday of each month, with no meeting in January. With local body elections being held in October, there will be a hiatus after September while elections take place and the governance structure is agreed to by the new council.

Agreed action points:

The 2022 meeting dates for Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party are:

· 10 February (workshop)

· 10 March (formal meeting)

· 14 April (workshop)

· 12 May (formal meeting)

· 9 June (workshop)

· 14 July (formal meeting)

· 11 August (workshop)

· 8 September (formal meeting)

· 13 October – dependent on local body election date

· November – dependent on new council’s governance statement

· December – dependent on new council’s governance statement.  

Regional marae-based hui (Item 4.6)

Members received the report about the 18 November virtual hui and discussed the merits of replacing bi-monthly regional marae-based hui with virtual hui focused on the priorities (Ngā Whainga) in TTMAC’s Strategic Intent 2021-2040. It was agreed that virtual hui make it easier for members and external speakers to attend and that, while covid-19 makes planning regional hui difficult, to utilise virtual hui. Ongoing, a marae’s connectivity is to be considered when hosting hui.

Agreed action points:

· That Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party’s regional marae-based hui are replaced with workshops based on the Ngā Whainga in TTMAC’s Strategic Intent 2021-2040 as follows:

Date	Ngā Whainga
10 February 2022	Māori representation
14 April 2022	Regional Economic Development Strategy roll-out and implementation
9 June 2022	To be advised
11 August 2022	To be advised

· That a virtual workshop in place of a regional hui be held on Thursday, 10 February 2021.

· That invitations be extended to Kaipara District Council and Far North District Council, as equal shareholders in Northland Inc, for the 14 April workshop on regional economic development.

Tāngata whenua and council environmental monitoring (Item 4.7)

The report from the Strategic Policy Specialist provided an overview of the policy context for tāngata whenua involvement in council’s environmental monitoring programme. Key points discussed included the need for the Māori Technical Advisory Group (MTAG) to be adequately resourced for the mahi requested of them, MTAG’s appreciation of staffs’ work to support their mahi, to include consent/compliance monitoring in the scope, the need for a Te Ao Māori and mātauranga Māori framework, that the issue is bigger than $20,000 funding and feeds into wider kaupapa such as freshwater, and transitional steps towards devolution of functions and Hōkai Nuku model.

Agreed action points:

· That staff engage with the Māori Technical Advisory Group in development of policy and procedures to achieve better tāngata whenua engagement and participation in council’s environmental monitoring activities and in how council can support tāngata whenua environmental and consent/compliance monitoring mahi.

· That the working party be kept updated with progress and the draft policy and procedures be brought back to the working party for endorsement and recommendation to council for adoption.

Local government review (Item 4.8)

The Policy and Planning Manager updated members on central government’s process for reviewing local government, outlining council’s initial approach to the local government review, and seeking members feedback on how they would like to be involved and on some initial proposed work. Ideally the council wish to give central government a collective view from Māori and council for how local government should look in Taitokerau for the next 40 years. During kōrero reassurance was sought about the role and relationship to Te Kahu o Taonui, emphasisng that the voice of TTMAC was not to be subsumed by others. The unreasonable timelines from central government were also noted.

Agreed action points:

· That Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party’s (TTMAC) tangata whenua members work with council with the aim of forming a collective view on the future form of local government for Northland.

· That the Māori Technical Advisory Group (MTAG) work with staff to develop a plan for how council and tangata whenua TTMAC members can work together to achieve the action point above.

· That an independent consultant be commissioned to undertake an initial series of interviews with tangata whenua leaders on their perspectives of a future local government for Northland.

· That MTAG recommend a list of tangata whenua to be interviewed (via email given the tight timeframe).

· That the Memorandum of Understanding with Te Kahu o Taonui be recirculated to TTMAC members.

Local government elections 2022 (Item 4.9)

The Marketing and Engagement Manager provided an update on the plan for a joint Northland electoral campaign for the 2022 local government elections and sought members input and ideas into the development of a joint campaign, with a focus on how to encourage Māori to enrol, stand and vote in the upcoming local elections.

Agreed action points:

That Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party (TTMAC) nominates members Kake, Rameka and Tipene to provide input and ideas into the development of a joint campaign, with a focus on how we can encourage Māori to enrol, stand and vote in the upcoming local elections. 

Coastal Occupation Charging (Item 4.10)

Members received the report. It included the Coastal Occupation Charging Discussion Document which had been updated in light of feedback from the Māori Technical Advisory Group (MTAG) who had been asked to provide advice on the design of a potential coastal occupation charging regime for Northland and recommendations on how to reflect Māori values and aspirations in a discussion document. The Policy Specialist answered wide-ranging questions from what structures the policy would cover to how revenue would be allocated, and what other councils were doing.

Agreed action points:

That staff work with the Māori Technical Advisory Group (MTAG) members to develop the section on ‘tangata whenua perspective on coastal occupation charging’, and that when completed the Coastal Occupation Charging Discussion Document - November 2021 go to council for their consideration.

Secretarial Note:

· Staff to follow up with the member for Te Waiāriki, Ngāti Korora, Ngāti Taka Hapū Iwi Trust regarding a mooring zone in the Ngunguru River which is a customary pipi-gathering area.

· The meeting adjourned at 1.20pm and reconvened at 1.45pm.

· A new item was tabled and addressed following Item 4.10, “Resource management system reform – feedback on government proposals (Item 4.10A)”.

Resource management system reform – feedback on government proposals (Item 4.10A)

The Strategic Policy Specialist provided a verbal report advising that, in late November, the government released a discussion document setting out further proposals on the reform of the resource management system entitled “Our future resource management system - materials for discussion”.  The government seeks feedback on the proposals by 28 February 2022. This timeframe does not allow the matter to be discussed at a Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party (TTMAC) formal meeting so the collaborative process agreed to at TTMAC’s 14 October meeting is to be followed.  

Agreed action points:

That the process for the feedback on the proposed resource management system reform be:

· Staff to develop draft feedback, circulate to and discuss with the Māori Technical Advisory Group (MTAG) in late January 2022

· The draft to be workshopped with council in early February

· Timeframe allowing, return the draft to TTMAC for further feedback before going to the February council meeting

· The approved feedback to be lodged with the Ministry by 28 February 2022.

Mapping - guidance for council (Item 4.11)

Members received this report subject to further work being done to flesh out some of the issues raised in the paper and discussion, such as intellectual property rights, privacy around aerial photography, and impact on rangatiratanga. This was to be done with reference to the Strategic Intent of “working together for the wellbeing of the environment”. An updated report to be provided to a future meeting.

Agreed action points:

· Updated paper to be presented back to the working party.

Development of a Biodiversity Strategy for Taitokerau (Item 4.12)

The Policy Specialist outlined the purpose of a regional biodiversity strategy, the development of which had been supported at a Biosecurity and Biodiversity Working Party which requested that TTMAC advice be sought on the development process and engagement with tāngata whenua. After kōrero about its statutory standing and effect of the impending National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPS-IB), members were supportive of the staff engaging with the Māori Technical Advisory Group on this mahi.

Agreed action points:

That staff engage with the Māori Technical Advisory Group to co-design a process to develop the Taitokerau Biodiversity Strategy.

Economic development - Update on activities of relevance to TTMAC Strategic Intent 2021-2040 (Item 4.13)

Northland Regional Council’s Economist, Northland Inc’s Acting Chief Executive Officer and GM-Māori presented an update which focused on the impact of covid-19 restrictions, Northland Inc’s move to joint ownership with the Kaipara and Far North district councils, opportunities around the Taitokerau Northland Destination Management Plan, the Statement of Intent, and projects such as digital connectivity, Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust, kingfish RAS, and Extension 350. TTMAC’s feedback was sought on how they would like to provide direction on economic development activities of interest. Key points raised in the kōrero also included membership of the Joint Regional Economic Development Committee and funding of Northland Inc.

Agreed action points: Nil. Note that TTMAC’s April virtual workshop will have a focus on regional economic development.

Reports from other working parties and groups (Item 4.14)

The paper was taken as read. Brief verbal updates were provided. Clr Craw, Chair of the Biosecurity and Biodiversity Working Party noted, in particular, the large biosecurity operational plan. Clr Macdonald, Chair of the Climate Change Working Party, noted Victoria Harwood’s appointment as the new Poutiaki Hapori – GM Community Resilience. Nora Rameka, one of three TTMAC representatives on the Tāngata Whenua Water Advisory Group noted that TWWAG would like to continue building their relationship with TTMAC, having found the whanaungatanga at the November TTMAC workshop beneficial.

Agreed action points: Nil.

Chief Executive Officer's report to November council meeting (Item 4.15)

Report taken as read. The representative for Ngāti Hine queried observed that the environmental characterisation of the Kaipara Moana Remediation Programme seemed misleading as the catchment work moved into a Treaty Settlement process, which will run parallel but slower.

Agreed action points: Nil.

Whakamutunga (Conclusion)

The meeting concluded at 3.21pm.