AM Edition: Top 10 Politics Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for April 16, 2026 – Full Text

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

An urgent inquiry into the government’s decision to remove school boards’ legal obligation to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and overhaul the national curriculum is underway, with iwi and the Education Union warning of long-term impacts for Māori.

The Waitangi Tribunal is hearing evidence this week after granting urgency to a claim brought by Northland iwi Ngāti Hine and hapū Te Kapotai, alongside the country’s largest education union, NZEI Te Riu Roa.

The claim challenges changes to the Education and Training Act 2020, which removed the requirement for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti, as well as the reset of Te Mātaiaho and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

The claimants argue the removal of Treaty obligations risks significant and irreversible harm to Māori learners and their whānau, including reduced access to te reo Māori, tikanga and mātauranga Māori, and a loss of cultural safety in schools.

Ngāti Hine kaumātua and claimant Te Waihoroi Shortland previously told RNZ the decision to remove Treaty obligations reflected a long-standing pattern in Crown behaviour.

“People forget that two nations made this deal (Te Tiriti o Waitangi). One of them was Māori and one of them was the Crown of England … then one nation turns around and swallows the other one up and says, everything we decide is for your good.

“It’s been that way for 186 years. These kind of actions remind us that we haven’t moved very far in all of that time.”

In granting urgency, the Tribunal found the changes carried constitutional significance, “especially so in a case where Māori have not been consulted”.

It also found the removal of the statutory obligation could have immediate consequences for both the status of Te Tiriti and outcomes for tamariki Māori within the education system.

The hearing, which begins on Wednesday morning, is expected to run through to Friday.

‘Pattern of undermining’ Treaty obligations

NZEI Te Riu Roa president Ripeka Lessels told RNZ the inquiry would allow the Tribunal to examine how the changes were made and their wider impact on the education system.

She said the union would present evidence showing what it believes is a pattern of Crown conduct that has “systematically undermined and dismantled” Treaty obligations in education.

Lessels said the removal of section 127 of the Act, which previously required school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti, had shifted responsibilities away from boards and weakened accountability.

“While the Crown says that schools are not Crown entities, they are very much Crown entities. They are a reflection of the Crown. So there is an obligation on their part to be able to give effect to the Treaty, to be able to ensure that things like strategic planning, policies, ensuring that localised curriculum are… part of a school’s strategic plan.”

She said the change could affect how boards engage with iwi, whether they prioritise Māori representation, and how they reflect Te Tiriti in decision-making.

“For instance… whether or not they must have a Māori representative on their board or not… that’s an impact that will resound quite loudly for some schools,” she said.

Lessels said giving effect to Te Tiriti was about embedding te ao Māori across all aspects of schooling, from governance to teaching and community engagement.

“It reflects tikanga Māori, kaupapa Māori, mātauranga Māori, te reo Māori… in every aspect of the school,” she said.

Research showed students were more likely to engage in learning when they could see themselves reflected in their school environment.

The union is asking the Tribunal to recommend the government reinstate the mandatory requirement for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti.

Lessels said this was essential to ensure consistency across the system and maintain progress made since the obligation was introduced in 2020.

“There was a time in our history where we didn’t have it… and nobody taught it, nobody made references to it,” she said.

She said schools had made significant progress in recent years, but that could be undermined without a legal requirement in place.

“Since 2020, since the Education and Training Act, schools have had to give effect to [Te Tiriti]. And I must say schools have done a wonderful job of giving effect to the Treaty. But this way here, what the Ministry or what the Minister has done is nothing short of just dismantling the Treaty of Waitangi and the ways in which schools should be obligated to give effect to it.”

The union is also calling for a halt to the rollout of the new curriculum, arguing consultation has been insufficient – particularly for Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

“While both consultations close on 24 April 2026, the Ministry of Education opened the English-medium process on 28 October 2025. This leaves tumuaki and kaiako with only half the time to provide feedback on the draft Te Marautanga o Aotearoa framework and Tau 0-10 wāhanga ako. For the Pūmanawa Tangata wāhanga ako (social science learning area), the draft was released on 7 April, leaving the sector with only 18 days for feedback.”

Lessels said the shortened consultation timeframe for Māori-medium education signalled a lack of priority given to mātauranga Māori.

“We need to be able to have some authentic consultation… where those who need to be in that conversation are in that conversation,” she said.

NZEI is also calling on the government to:

• Establish an independent monitoring body, which will include NZEI and Māori education sector representatives, to oversee Crown compliance with Te Tiriti obligations in education
• Reinstate funding for Te Ahu o Te Reo Māori and Resource Teachers Māori
• Set binding requirements for future Ministerial Advisory Groups, ensuring all members have a demonstrated commitment to Te Tiriti and te ao Māori

The Tribunal will hear evidence from claimants, including iwi representatives and the union, as well as responses from the Crown over the coming days.

The Minister of Education has been approached for comment.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Far North Mayor Moko Tepania has defended having unelected iwi representatives on the council’s Māori liaison committee – and says the Far North is being unfairly targeted because it’s just one of 57 councils around the country with similar arrangements.

The committee’s membership has been thrust into the national spotlight after former TV journalist Duncan Garner interviewed councillor Davina Smolders on his podcast last week.

In the podcast Garner claimed a council committee had 15 unelected iwi representatives to six elected councillors, which he believed was “illegal”, “undemocratic”, and “co-governance on steroids”.

The committee Garner and Smolders were referring to was the Te Kuaka Māori Strategic Relationships Committee.

The committee’s makeup will be decided at a council meeting on Wednesday morning but alongside the six councillors it is proposed to have two members from Northland’s iwi chairs forum, and one from each of the eight hapū or iwi with which the council has a Memorandum of Understanding, making a total of 10 appointed members.

Council documents show the six other council committees have at most two unelected external members, and some have none.

Tepania said the furore took him by surprise, given that Te Kuaka’s membership had yet to be confirmed, and because Māori liaison committees were nothing new.

He said the appointed members would have voting rights on the committee, but the committee could only give advice with the full council making any final decisions.

“I mean, we’re not alone in having a mechanism like this to incorporate Māori into our decision-making … We’re one of 57 councils that have a committee like this. Our cousins in Whangārei and Northland Regional Council have strategic relationship committees as well,” Tepania said.

“So it’s definitely not something new, or something that we alone are trying to push forward. It’s a mechanism that allows us to meet our statutory obligations under the Local Government Act, which is to ensure that we include Māori participation in our decision-making. And that’s what we’re doing,” he said.

He said some committees – such as Te Koukou Transport and Infrastructure Committee – did have delegated powers to make decisions and sign off contracts up to a certain value, but not Te Kuaka Māori Strategic Relationships Committee.

Tepania rejected claims the committee was illegal or undemocratic.

“This is what’s really unfortunate, because when opinion is stated as fact, it gets people up in arms. Is the Far North District council breaking the law? Actually, it’s not. The Local Government Act allows for any council to establish committees and to have non-elected members on those committees. The only requirement is that they have at least one elected member.”

Local Government New Zealand confirmed to RNZ the approach taken by the Far North District Council to its committees was allowed under the Local Government Act 2002.

Tepania said it was “disheartening” the controversy erupted while the council was dealing with the aftermath of the March storm and preparing for Cyclone Vaianu.

“It does feel like we’ve been unfairly targeted out of the councils in this country that are doing the same and it does honestly feel like race baiting. It’s very hōhā (annoying) and we’ve got too much mahi to do for all of the people of the Far North to have to put time and energy into this.”

Tepania was, however, concerned by Smolder’s statement that she felt “threatened, bullied and intimidated”, including at the council table.

All members had to abide by a code of conduct – which included how they behaved towards each other – and if any councillor believed that had been breached, he urged them to make use of the processes in place “to keep everyone safe”.

Tepania said the upcoming general election was a good chance for the Far North to make itself heard by central government, but it could also ramp up divisions and he expected to see a lot more opinions presented as fact.

He urged people to “do their homework” and seek information from “reputable sources”.

Meanwhile, Tepania said he apologised to Garner, and the people of the Far North, for responding to an interview request with a two-word email stating “f*** off”.

It wasn’t the kind of response people expected from their mayor, or that he expected from others in his position.

“If circumstances were different I wouldn’t have reacted in that way. It was just the initial reaction to something that was blowing up, causing me concern, and at the end of the day, I guess we’re all human,” Tepania said.

Davina Smolders rejected Tepania’s characterisation of the podcast as misinformation.

She conceded Garner was incorrect when he claimed having appointees on a council committee was illegal, but maintained – and said she had been advised by her lawyer – that it went against the intent of the law.

She said the Te Kuaka committee already had four Māori Ward councillors, so the extra hapū and iwi appointees were an unnecessary double-up.

If the podcast failed to mention that the committee in question was the Māori liaison committee, that context had likely been lost in the editing process when the 48-minute interview had been cut down to 30.

Smolders said she had made 13 complaints to police about threats against her, but none related to incidents in the council chambers.

Eleven related to threats made via social media.

She said police had been “incredibly proactive and reassuring”, in one case even identifying a Facebook user who went by a false name.

Smolders said she expected some of her supporters to attend Wednesday morning’s meeting, as well as supporters of the council’s current direction.

“I respect the democratic right of Ngāpuhi, and all citizens, to peacefully protest and make their voices heard,” she said.

“This is a direct result of the fundamental breakdown in trust and effective governance at the Far North District Council. We can’t continue with the status quo. The cracks in this council’s democratic foundation are now on public display, and I’m once again urging Local Government Minister Simon Watts to step in and appoint a Crown observer.”

However, Minister Watts confirmed to RNZ he would not be appointing an observer to the Far North District Council.

He said he was aware of concerns about tensions within the council.

“The local council and its members are locally elected, it’s not for Wellington to go intervene every time they do something I don’t personally agree with. Given the high statutory threshold required for such powers, I am advised that the council’s current actions do not constitute formal ministerial intervention at this time,” he said.

“I have, however, asked officials to engage with the council and report back to me if they identify any concerns or issues that warrant further investigation.”

Watts’ office confirmed the council was not being investigated, despite news reports to that effect.

The Minister’s letter to the council stated he was “satisfied that the council is conducting its governance appropriately and any disagreements between council members can be managed through its governance processes”.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government will receive a $10 million special dividend from Landcorp Farming Limited today, State Owned Enterprises Minister Simeon Brown says. 

“We expect our state-owned enterprises to operate efficiently, maintain strong balance sheets, and return value to New Zealanders,” Mr Brown says.

“Including this payment, Landcorp will have returned a total of $25 million in dividends to the Crown in the 2025/26 financial year, reflecting Shareholding Ministers’ expectations for appropriate capital returns.

“Every dollar returned to the Crown is available to support the Government’s investment in the public services New Zealanders rely on, including schools, hospitals, roads, and frontline services like Police. That is central to our plan to deliver better outcomes for Kiwis.”

“It also demonstrates confidence in Landcorp’s financial position and its ability to deliver consistent value for taxpayers.”

Mr Brown says the dividend follows a capital payment from Fonterra and highlights the strength of Landcorp’s recent turnaround.

“I’m pleased to see the continued improvement in Landcorp’s performance, with recent half-year results pointing to a strong full-year outcome, supported by improved operations and favourable commodity prices.

“This progress reflects disciplined management, a sharper operational focus, and a clear commitment to delivering value for taxpayers.”

Landcorp received a $9.5 million capital repayment as a shareholder in Fonterra. The special dividend represents a pass-through of this non-operating receipt and sits outside Landcorp’s ordinary dividend policy.

MIL OSI

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

Support workers suggest the government spend a day with them to understand why an increase to 82 cents per kilometre is a joke.

The government has announced a temporary 30 percent increase in mileage reimbursement rates for home and community support workers to offset soaring fuel costs.

This is still under the recommended reimbursement rates set by Inland Revenue before fuel prices climbed towards $4 a litre.

“Here’s a tiny little bit of ‘let’s keep everybody quiet’… It’s almost like a joke.”

Helen has been a support worker for 18 years.

Each year she thinks it will be her last, but every year she says no, wanting to wait until after a client has died. Each year she finds another person to wait for.

Across nearly two decades Helen has arrived to find her clients have hurt themselves, died overnight, she’s helped families dress their dead. She knows everything about them. Their kids’ names, what they do, how they like their coffee. As a support worker, she becomes part of the family.

She knows the job and the roads in Waikanae like the back of her hand.

On this particular Thursday she had six appointments, although it was likely to be more; they get added into her day.

‘It shouldn’t have taken a fuel crisis to get an increase’

She starts the morning shift at 7.15am with 140km left in the tank.

The last time she filled the car it cost $163.

“It shouldn’t have taken a fuel crisis to get an increase,” she said.

She needs her own car each day to travel between clients, but this increase doesn’t cover the car itself, or any maintenance.

The increase is also only available for a year, or until petrol prices are below $3 per litre for four consecutive weeks.

After that it’s back to 63.5c per kilometre.

“A lot of us are on the living wage…the new people that are coming on, that are still going through their qualifications, I mean, they’re on minimum wage, plus they’re having to prop up their own petrol and obviously car maintenance and things.”

For support workers it’s not just the petrol payments that upset them. They also lost their pay equity claim, and feel undervalued by the government.

Helen works incredibly hard, her clients know that too. One of them tries to give her morning tea to take away, knowing that between appointments, she will barely have enough time to cover the travel, let alone breaks.

Waikanae town and the beach are just over 7km away from each other, her clients are spread between the two.

” I just say I’m staying in Waikanae and that’s the end of it… the further you go, the more it’s going to cost you.”

However Helen said many staff go back and forth up and down the coast, sometimes travelling from Palmerston North and the Hutt Valley.

A morning shower, first thing in the afternoon…

But she still does her fair share of bouncing around. Her first and third appointments were two streets over from each other, but instead she had a 14km trip to see the client in between.

Her company does the roster to meet what the client needs but when only some of the petrol is covered doubling back is a hard pill to swallow.

It’s also a problem trying to meet people’s needs; most want their shower early, but staffing shortages mean a morning shower comes at 1pm.

Everything is timed to the minute.

“This morning we had 10 minutes for dressing, 20 minutes for hygiene, which is a shower, 15 minutes for meal preparation, and five minutes for medication.”

She sets a timer to see if it’s possible to achieve it all in 45 minutes.

That’s her least favourite bit, often the time to do the tasks takes longer than allocated, meaning she either must leave unfinished, or the rest of her clients wait.

Her alarm went off right on time, she only makes it out because her client had already made himself breakfast.

Leaping in the car, she’s off to the next one.

The problem is despite the fact she’s so far on time, it’s after 9am. She has two 30-minute appointments at different houses and then needs to be 7km away at 10am.

But that math doesn’t add up. More than an hour’s worth of work, but less than 60 minutes to fit it into.

‘We’re going to be late’

“We’re going to be late” – 30 minutes late to be precise.

But she doesn’t dwell, delicately weaving her way through the streets to her next location, a client with terminal cancer.

“The lady that we’re going to now has been waiting for, it’s called a multi-chair that you can interlink with a system that goes over the bath and into the shower.

“She hasn’t had a proper shower in a year.

“We’ve all just been kind of hoping that she’ll get her chair before she goes so she can at least experience one chair before she leaves.”

By visit five, Helen’s clocked up 30km and an hour behind the wheel between bookings.

She hadn’t stopped for food, water or even a loo break, just sprinting between clients.

Helen had to do that once, not sprinting but walking. Her car broke down, she had no other options and no help from her company, so she packed a backpack and requested clients close together, because she’d be hitting the pavement.

“I feel very privileged doing my job and I’m sure everybody else that works in the same job feels very privileged as well.

“It’s a real feel-good job.

“People really appreciate us coming and that’s lovely but we can’t come if we can’t afford to come….

“Unfortunately, our cars don’t run on feel-good feelings.”

Support workers do the work no one else will

Her day ends at about 12.45pm with 45 kilometres clocked up.

She’s right, those good feelings won’t fuel the car. For today’s rebate she will receive around $37.

That’s $15 short of what IRD suggests for petrol repayments. That doesn’t cover car maintenance or costs to keep it on the road.

Helen said she wouldn’t be doing it if she didn’t love it and feel appreciated by the clients, but the reality is, it costs her money.

“I challenge anyone to come out and spend the day with me… see what we do for a day and actually how much we do and see how much of a difference we make in the community but also how hard we work to make that difference.”

Her last but enduring question she asked herself, “who would do this if we didn’t?”

Who looks after the elderly, the sick, people post-surgery? Where do they go, the overfilled hospitals, retirement homes they can’t afford?

“We are fighting for the time for them, but we’ve also got to fight for ourselves… it’s a fight all round.”

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: New Zealand Government

From June, it will be easier and more affordable for parents to get treatment for their children for a range of common health conditions, with expanded services proposed to be delivered through community pharmacies, Health Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Health Minister David Seymour say.

“We know many New Zealanders are facing long wait times to see a GP, and this can be especially frustrating for parents trying to get timely care for their children. These changes are about making better use of community pharmacies as a convenient, additional option for the treatment of straightforward conditions,” Mr Brown says.

Health New Zealand is proposing that participating pharmacists be able to provide funded medicines for children and their families for pain and fever management, oral rehydration, and common conditions such as scabies, head lice, and conjunctivitis. The proposal also covers treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections and emergency contraception.

“Currently, families either pay full over-the-counter costs for treatment or need to visit a GP to access it at a subsidised cost.

“Pharmacists are highly trained health professionals. Under the proposal, pharmacists will be able to assess patients, provide a consultation, and supply funded treatment where appropriate, similar to a GP visit.

“This means treatment can be provided at a lower cost, rather than paying full over-the-counter prices, or without waiting for a GP appointment.

“It will make it easier for children and families to get timely care for simple conditions, particularly when a GP appointment isn’t immediately available, while also supporting more consistent access to care across the country.

“In many communities, pharmacies are among the most accessible health services. Expanding their role will improve local availability of funded treatment and care for these conditions.”

To support delivery, Health New Zealand has established a $5 million per year Extended Pharmacy Services Fund to help ensure these services are available nationwide.

“It’s important to Kiwis that they have fast access to the medicines they need close to home. Today’s proposal is one more step this Government is taking to achieve that goal,” Mr Seymour says.  

“Often people living in rural and remote areas or communities with higher health needs find it difficult to get timely GP appointments. This is a common-sense approach that, if approved, will make life easier and more affordable for many families across the country. 

“The proposed changes would enable Direct Provision of already funded medicines by Pharmacists as part of provision of Health New Zealand funded Extended Pharmacy Services, in accordance with their pharmacy agreement. To support the implementation of these changes Pharmac will update the Pharmaceutical Schedule.” 

Mr Brown says the proposed changes recognise and build on the important role pharmacists already play in communities.

“Pharmacists are trusted, accessible health providers and are often the first-place people go for advice. Enabling them to deliver more services strengthens access to care and helps ensure Kiwis receive the right care at the right time, close to home.”

MIL OSI

Source: New Zealand Government

The latest Business of Ageing report shows older people are increasing their contribution to New Zealand’s economy through paid work, running businesses, taxes, spending, and unpaid care, Seniors Minister Casey Costello said today.

“Everyone with parents and grandparents knows about the incredible contribution of our seniors,” Ms Costello says.

“This report quantifies, in economic terms, how big that contribution is. Paid work by people aged 65 and over is now valued at nearly $9 billion a year, with a further $5 billion coming from self-employment.

“Older people are also contributing through taxes, spending and investment, and importantly, through unpaid work that often goes unrecognised. That work is not just economically valuable – it strengthens our social fabric, supporting families and sustaining community organisations and services.”

The report shows:

• The value of unpaid work by older people has passed $20 billion a year
• Paid work by people aged 65 and over now contributes around $9 billion a year
• Self-employment adds a further $5 billion a year
• Seniors pay more than $13 billion in tax annually
• Annual consumer spending by over-65s is close to $55 billion

“While these are significant figures, the Business of Ageing Report also looks ahead and forecasts how these numbers grow as our population ages, reshaping the workforce and the economy over the coming decades,” Ms Costello says.

“A key takeout is that New Zealand needs to think a lot differently about the older workforce and how to utilise its skills and provide opportunities for the increasing numbers of over-65s who will be in work. As more New Zealanders live longer and stay active, the number of older people in work is projected to more than double over the next 50 years. 

“Nearly half of those aged between 65 and 69 are currently in the workforce and this participation rate – as well as that for 70–74-year-olds, is forecast to increase.”

The Business of Ageing report was prepared by the New Zealand Institute for Economic Research (NZIER) for the Office for Seniors and is part of a series that has been in place since 2011. It was last updated in 2023.

“This information matters. If we understand how ageing is reshaping our economy and our communities, we can make better decisions about how to support people to continue to contribute and to live well as they age,” Ms Costello says.

“Older people are a vital and growing part of New Zealand’s workforce, economy, and communities and the Government’s policies must reflect that reality.”

The Business of Ageing report is available at: www.officeforseniors.govt.nz/businessofageing

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

Far North councillors on Wednesday voted to expand a Māori liaison committee which has been at the centre of a nationwide social media firestorm.

More than 100 people, many carrying flags and home-made banners, gathered outside the Far North District Council chambers in Kaikohe ahead of this morning’s meeting to finalise the committee’s membership.

Unusually, the gathering was called not to protest the council’s plans, but as a show of support for its direction and for embattled Mayor Moko Tepania.

Both the Far North District Council and Tepania had been under intense pressure since a podcast last week by former TV journalist Duncan Garner, in which he interviewed outspoken councillor Davina Smolders and claimed the council’s appointment of unelected members to its committees was “illegal”, “undemocratic” and “co-governance on steroids”.

Both called on the government to step in and appoint a Crown observer.

The controversy centred on the council’s Te Kuaka Māori Strategic Relationships Committee, which includes six councillors – including Smolders – and, as of today, two representatives of the Northland iwi chairs forum, known as Te Kahu o Taonui, and eight hapū representatives.

The Local Government Act states councils can appoint any number of unelected members to their committees, and that councils must involve Māori in decision-making.

Among those at the protest was former Kaipara Māori ward councillor Pera Paniora, who travelled from Dargaville to take part.

She said many of the claims in the podcast were incorrect.

“This committee isn’t illegal or unlawful. It’s a committee that makes recommendations, it doesn’t make decisions, and it’s not a co-governance committee.”

Also there was Taitokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, who said she had helped set up the committee years ago with then chairman Harry Burkhardt.

She said the committee worked well, and the claims she had seen on social media were “disturbing and distressing”.

“To take it away would undo some very good work that has benefited everyone, Māori and non-Māori.”

Pākehā at the protest included Michelle Cels of Kawakawa, who wanted to “stand together against division that’s being sown in the community”.

“There’s so much misinformation out there, and people need to be very clear they are doing their own research, not living in an echo chamber and trusting what people say to them is true.”

Ngāpuhi chairman Mane Tahere, one of the newly appointed committee members, said Māori were already an economic force in Northland – even without a Treaty settlement – and had much to offer in the way of solutions to Northland’s meth and housing crises.

“We’re just carrying on with the mahi and rising above all the rhetoric,” he said.

The social media storm of the past week had, however, been frustrating for Far Northerners dealing with real-world problems such as the cost of living and extreme weather.

It’s hōhā [annoying] for our people with everyday struggles, most recently the floods.”

Only 30 people were allowed inside the chambers during the meeting with the rest having to follow the livestream from the nearby Memorial Hall.

Speakers included Green MP Hūhana Lyndon and Northland Regional Council chairman Pita Tipene.

Tipene drew a link between the social media firestorm and real-life storms of recent weeks, saying people would be better served by calm and rational debate.

“Me personally, I have come here to listen and get the truth. I’m here with everyone else because we need more light and less heat, given the storms of the last couple of weeks.”

Ngatiwai’s Aperahama Keripeti-Edwards, a committee appointee, urged councillors not to be swayed from their current path.

“I ask you to uphold the integrity of your processes. Respect the role of tangata whenua within them. And make decisions that are based on fact, not misinformation, because the future depends on it.”

Advisory committees such as Te Kuaka were necessary, he said.

“You do not make decisions about people without them. You do not speak for others when they can speak for themselves.”

Councillor Smolders said appointing unelected members was allowed under the Local Government Act, but risked going against the intent of the law.

She also said the council could not appoint unspecified hapū representatives to the committee, it could only appoint named individuals.

That meant another resolution would have to be passed later, at another extraordinary meeting, once hapū had decided who would represent them.

The decision to expand the committee’s membership was passed by nine votes to one with one abstention. Only Smolders voted against.

Afterwards she said she was disappointed in the outcome, saying councillors would be outnumbered by unelected members on the Te Kuaka committee.

“And the community has voted for elected members to be their voice,” she said.

The meeting drew the largest media contingent at the Far North District Council in recent years, along with possibly the first ever media stand-up at the Kaikohe chambers.

Tepania said broadening the Māori relationships committee was the right thing to do, and gave credit to the previous mayor under whose tenure the council signed its first Memorandum of Understanding with iwi.

He hoped the next generation would not still have to justify including Māori in decision making, as his tūpuna [ancestors] had done and as he had been forced to do this week.

“It’s hōhā to have to stand and do that right now, but from the aroha of the iwi who have come here today I feel we are coming together. We have a huge road ahead, but we can do it together.”

Last year’s local elections saw Tepania win the Far North mayoralty by a landslide, and Māori elected to six out of 10 council seats.

Far Northerners also voted to retain their Māori ward.

According to the most recent Census data, just over 50 percent of the Far North population is of Māori descent.

Smolders, an ACT Party candidate, was elected last October with the second-highest number of votes, after Ann Court, in the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Ward.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

MIL OSI