Ken Mair laid a complaint after comments around Te Repo and repossession were made at the December council meeting.
Photo / Laurell Stowell
Ken Mair laid a complaint after comments around Te Repo and repossession were made at the December council meeting.
Photo / Laurell Stowell
A Whanganui iwi leader wants to meet with the mayor and councillor at the centre of his Human Rights Commission (HRC) complaint.
Tupoho trust chairman Ken Mair made a complaint to the HRC last month following comments from Whanganui District Councillor Rob Vinsen which linked the iwi-preferredoption for a new street name of "Te Repo", to the English word repossession.
Vinsen told the Chronicle he has apologised following his comments.
Meanwhile, fellow councillor Alan Taylor has failed to garner enough support to have the decision overturned.
At the December meeting councillors chose Morrell St for a new street in Tawhero, a name suggested by the developer to honour well-known Whanganui sculptor Joan Morrell.
Under a new street-naming protocol Whanganui's Tupoho iwi and neighbouring Ngā Rauru had been asked to suggest a name, for the first time, choosing Te Repo, a reference to the area's wetland past.
Vinsen said he sent an apology to Ken Mair the same day iwi reaction was published but had not received a response.
Councillor Rob Vinsen apologised to Ken Mair shortly after the comments were made.
Photo / Bevan Conley
He declined to comment further on the complaint.
Mair said he had had discussions with the HRC about what processes the commission is able to implement.
"They've told me they don't actually investigate but what they do is try and facilitate meetings between the parties to try and find some solutions, which I think will be helpful," he said.
Mair said he was planning to meet with both the mayor and councillor Vinsen within the next week outside of the HRC complaint process.
He confirmed he received Vinsen's apology letter and said the contents of the letter will be discussed face-to-face at the meeting.
"From my view, that's a more appropriate way to deal with these issues," he said.
"I've got no doubt in my mind if there's a will there's a way, and all indications are is that we'll find a way through this."
Mayor Hamish McDouall said he was open to meeting with Mair in regards to the complaint.
McDouall acknowledged Vinsen had apologised to iwi and said the next step was to change the street naming policy.
"That was certainly the intent of the previous change to bring iwi further into discussions around naming streets but sadly the mechanism we thought of isn't working.
"These discussions should happen well before it gets to council."
A Human Rights Commission spokesperson declined to comment on the progress of the complaint.
"We don't comment on individual complaints in which parties may be offered a mediation process if the issue falls under the Human Rights Act.
"This is because our commenting on outcomes/findings contradicts the process being both confidential and voluntary and may deter other complaints."
Following the street naming decision, councillor Alan Taylor sought views from his fellow councillors around revoking the decision.
Councillor Alan Taylor wants to see changes to Whanganui's street naming process.
Photo / Bevan Conley
Taylor was overseas at the time of the meeting and didn't vote on the street naming motion.
"I appreciate that our standing orders allow us to revoke a decision under certain circumstances," he said.
"You have to have a certain number of councillors to support a motion to revoke a motion, and by email I polled all 13 elected members including the mayor."
The result was seven votes against revoking the decision and two votes in support according to Taylor.
"The support for doing what I proposed to do was very slight, but there was quite a bit of volunteered support for reviewing the policy of street naming."
He held a similar view to the mayor around the street naming process and said it was a good time to review the way things are done.
"I don't have too much of a problem with anyone making a suggestion but I don't see any reason why there should be any priority given to the developer.
"The streets are owned by council… they're public property.
"The developers make their money out of the development and the naming rights of the streets don't have a great deal of relevance to who institutes the development."
