Letter to the Editor Thursday March 14, 2013

Is Haami right?

Has Haami Piripi got it right? Section 82 of the LG Act 2002 provides for the following on the principles of consultation.

Sec82 (1) Consultation that a local authority undertakes in relation to any decision or other matter must be undertaken, subject to subsections (3) to (5), in accordance with the following principles:

(a) That persons who will or may be affected by, or have an interest in, the decision or matter should be provided by the local authority with reasonable access to relevant information in a manner and format that is appropriate to the preferences and needs of those persons;

(2) A local authority must ensure that it has in place process for consulting with Maori in accordance with subsection (1).

Section 3 (c) provides: promotes the accountability of local authorities to their communities.

On the Treaty of Waitangi, Sec 4 provides: In order to recognise and respect the Crown's responsibility to take appropriate account of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, and to maintain and improve opportunities for Maori to contribute to local government decision-making processes, Parts 2 and 6 provide principles and requirements for local authorities that are intended to facilitate participation by Maori in local authority decision-making processes.

The above is, of course, not conclusive, but provides a clear indication of the FNDC's legal responsibilities under the Act.

It would be interesting to know what role Rangitane Marsden played in the council's decision to give approval to the BBC in the manner that they did without consulting with the five iwi of Te Hiku o Te Ika.

Come on, Mayor Brown, you do not need a unitary authority to carry out honest consultation with Maori. To now read that the council is only now developing a format for consultation for Maori after five years in office is, in my view unbelievable and unacceptable.

Has Haami Piripi got it right? You be the judge. I certainly believe he has.

J DAVIS

Kawakawa