July 22, 2016
Councils face planning challenge
Regional councils hosting a conference on resource issues for tangata whenua have been challenged for ignoring tribal authority.
The Bay of Plenty and Waikato councils put on this week’s biennial Te Oniao conference in Rotorua as a thank you for the contributions hapu and whanau make to their work.
But one of the speakers, Willie te Aho from Te Whanau a Apanui, says councils and government agencies always try to get to lowest cost option through, whatever tangata whenua may want.
He says the message he had for the council it has no mana to delegate to his hapu.
"What we’re working through with council is how they can not have decision making powers within our rohe. Now that's just one hapu. There are 13 hapu within Whanau Apanui. We're all singing off the same song sheet. We've got to change discussions. If we talk about mana motuhake or tino rangatiratanga we've actually got to walk it and make sure every day we are taking responsibility for our resources and for our future," Mr Te Aho says.
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