Māori landowner wins rates battle, $110,000 debt wiped by council

Māori landowner Haumoana White does not have to pay the $110K debt New Plymouth District Council claimed he owed in rates arrears. Photo / supplied

A Māori landowner has finally been relieved of $110,000 rates debt that’s kept him stressed for years.

Details of his battle can be heard this week at Waitangi.

Farmer Haumoana White, who has land at Mokau, stopped paying rates about 10 years ago because New Plymouth District Council (NPDC), which sets his rates, refused to accept he was Māori on Ngati Wai Māori land.

When the council launched court action to force him to pay, White fought back enlisting the help of some friends who were aware of rating protections to which he was entitled under the Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Act 2021 (the act).

Robyn Martin-Kemp, her partner Russell Gibbs and sister-in-law Marie Gibbs had researched the act as part of their opposition to Taranaki’s ongoing Mt Messenger bypass dispute and had cited it in rates challenges on other Māori land.

In their submissions on White’s behalf, Marie and Russell argued NPDC’s pursuit of the rates arrears was wrong on multiple layers and failed to recognise the act.

Two days before a substantive hearing of the arguments, the council withdrew its proceedings and has since reassessed White’s land in line with the act as non-rateable.

Organisers of this week’s Treaty of Waitangi commemorative events learned about White’s win through a video post Martin-Kemp made on Facebook and invited her to speak on the main stage at Waitangi.

Keen to share his success, White will be with Martin-Kemp as she tells other freehold Māori landowners how they, too, could qualify for rates remissions and exemptions.

New Plymouth-based Martin-Kemp’s whakapapa through her mother is to Kaitangata te Kāhui ki Taranaki.

She also has strong links to Northland through her father (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Rāhiri, Ngāti Rāhia, Ngāti Kahu).

Kemp said she looked forward to speaking at Waitangi, which was an important chance to share her knowledge of the act with her descendants and other freehold Māori landowners from throughout the country.

Too many of them were unaware of the rating protections and entitlements available to them under the act, she said.

Martin-Kemp said for various reasons, some district councils had not recognised the legislative changes even though they’d been in force for three and a half years. Some councils were even still pursuing unpaid rates on land that should be exempt — as in White’s case.

Robyn Martin-Kemp (at right) has been invited to speak at Waitangi this year about the Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment 2021. She, partner Russell Gibbs and sister-in-law Melissa Maulu researched the act to challenge various rating claims levelled at Māori land, which they say should be exempt or subject to reductions. Photo / supplied

Martin-Kemp described herself as “a kaitiaki looking after the interests of her people and the whenua throughout Aotearoa”.

She, Russell, Marie, Haumoana, and Haumoana’s daughter Melissa Maulu work as a team to try to resolve various Māori issues in which they’re all independently involved.

“I’m really just the messenger who’s loaded with information and I fire the bullets,” Martin-Kemp said.

Using three social media platforms, she’s been able to reach a sizeable audience, including nearly 3000 followers on Facebook.

However, the chance to speak at Waitangi was significant, she said.

She noticed from comments under her video post some Māori landowners were aware of the rating protections it provided but hadn’t shared that information with the wider community.

“I think that’s where things changed for us — once we found a pathway forward with the rates it was a no-brainer to share that information with the rest of my people.”

Meanwhile, Te Puni Kokiri (TPK) acknowledged efforts by iwi, Māori organisations, and councils to raise awareness of the act.

“Whenua Māori and the provisions surrounding it can be complex, particularly in how they apply to different types of whenua,” a spokesperson said.

It, too, provided information on its website about the legislation “to support whānau Māori and council staff in better understanding and managing whenua Māori in these contexts”.

The spokesperson stressed that while TPK provided guidance on the act, Te Tari Taiwhenua - the Department of Internal Affairs was responsible for administering and delivering the legislation.

• Martin-Kemp has been allotted an hour to speak at Waitangi on Wednesday and Thursday. She said her kōrero will include answering audience questions.

Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate with nearly 20 years experience in journalism - mainly as a court reporter on the East Coast. She is especially passionate about justice and environmental issues, and about giving a voice to those who often go unheard.