Māori representatives to help set Taranaki Regional Council’s long term plan

TRC chief executive Steve Ruru says tangata whenua views will be vital in shaping the region's plan for the next 10 years.

Two iwi representatives will sit with the Taranaki Regional Council to help write its long-term plan next year but will not have voting rights.

Long term plans set council priorities for the next 10 years and are re-set every three years. The council has invited the collective of the region’s eight iwi – Ngā Iwi o Taranaki – to pick two representatives to help draft the long-term plan.

They will also have speaking rights for hearings and deliberations on submissions to the plan but will not get to vote at the end of those discussions.

TRC chief executive Steve Ruru said the region’s long-term plan (LTP) looked to tackle issues including the protection of freshwater and native biodiversity, and climate change mitigation.

“It’s vital we get views from tangata whenua for this work.

“The te ao Māori perspective will guide policy development and ensure there is a strong voice for Māori during the LTP process.”

TRC has a Māori ward councillor for the first time and has three iwi-appointed representatives on its two main standing committees - Policy and Planning, and Consents and Operations.

But a report from council officers argued there would be a “significant benefit” in having dedicated iwi representatives early in the plan-setting process.

“Feedback received at this process stage is more easily analysed and incorporated into the long-term plan.”

Formal consultation happened late in the plan-setting “and hence leaves less time for alternatives to be analysed and carefully considered”.

The report said there was also benefit in iwi gaining “a wider appreciation of the LTP process and the range of competing priorities that council needs to consider and the trade-offs that inevitably need to be made”.

Council staff were also talking with pou taiao (environment officers) from each individual iwi as the plan was drafted.

Direct input from iwi and the wider community would be heard during the public consultation in March and April 2024.

The two representatives were due to be confirmed at last week’s council meeting, but Ngā Iwi o Taranaki had not yet selected their appointees.

The council has no input in choosing the iwi representatives so councillors left the appointments on the table to confirm at their next meeting mid-December.

Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.