So we invited iwi members of the then Te Arawa Standing Committee to work with the
Maori community and come up with a model they felt would make for a more effective relationship with the council, which they did in December last year.
The council voted 10-3 to approve that model in principle and to put it out for public consultation.
'We need better working model with iwi'
There has been a considerable amount of misinformation bandied around and some distortion of facts. This has caused some people to have concerns.
I would encourage anyone who wants to learn more about the proposal to come to one of the remaining public information sessions, and to look at the material online or collect an information pack from the council.
What do you hope to achieve by allowing iwi more of a say on council?
What is being proposed is for councillors to appoint one or two iwi representatives to some of our committees. On our two main committees Te Arawa representatives would have voting rights along with the 12 elected councillors and the mayor.
We're trying to avoid problems we've had in the past and to work collectively for the interests of the district.
Would you have done anything differently?
No. The process has not finished. We asked Te Arawa to develop a model that would be an effective way of partnering. They did this. They also asked that we take it to the wider community for consultation. As councillors, we agreed with this approach.
Then we've put that model out to our community so Rotorua people can have a say, before we make any final decisions. Ultimately we will weigh up the various points of view and we will make a decision. This process is real democracy in action.
Anything else to add?
This hasn't come up overnight. Prior to the election, the Te Arawa Standing Committee had commenced a review of its function and relationship with council. This had followed previous concerns raised as far back as 2007 and the 2012 Environment Court decision.
I campaigned on, and heard throughout the elections, that we needed a new way of working with iwi. Councillors supported this direction when we developed and approved our Rotorua 2030 vision.
The model we are now considering is the result of Te Arawa determining how best they can contribute to Rotorua through the council.
I would encourage everyone to find out more and make a submission.