Ngāi Tahu representation bill passes first reading in Parliament

Friday, 10 December 2021

Ngāi Tahu leaders and kaumātua have met with government ministers to discuss how they can work together for the first time since its treaty settlement was signed in the mid-1990s. (First published June 15, 2021)

A bill proposing Environment Canterbury (ECan) make room at the governance table for two Ngāi Tahu representatives has just passed a first reading in Parliament.

Māori Affairs Select Committee chairperson Tamati Coffey is now calling for submissions on the Canterbury Regional Council Ngāi Tahu representation bill which, if successfully passed, would empower Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu to appoint two mana whenua to the council table.

This would bring the total number of governors to 16.

ECan chairperson Jenny Hughey is “thrilled” with the progress to the submissions phase.

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Māori Affairs Select Committee chairperson and Tamati Coffey is calling for submissions on the Canterbury Regional Council Ngāi Tahu representation bill. (file photo)

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“The Select Committee process is the pinnacle of consultation processes and is open to everyone in New Zealand.”

There are 10 Papatipu Rūnanga whose takiwā overlap or fall within the boundaries of the council; these kinship groups are represented at ECan by the collective Te Rōpū Tuia.

Te Rōpū Tuia co-chair Liz Brown (Taumutu) says Ngāi Tahu representation in governance builds on the work of generations who have advocated for mana whenua to be involved in regional decision making.

“If this bill passes, we will bring our tribal values of kaitiakitanga and tino rangatiratanga, when we make decisions with councillors about the future of our awa, whenua, mahinga kai, and taonga native species.

“As an iwi, we take an intergenerational view and our decisions today must consider Waitaha a hundred years from now. Mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei - for us and our children after us.”

In its initial introduction to Parliament in 2019, the bill did not pass a first reading due to a lack of cross-party support. To bridge the gap, a recommendation from outgoing commissioners was taken up in 2020 for ECan to establish two roles for Ngāi Tahu representatives in an advisory capacity, known as Tumu Taiao.

The council has worked closely with Papatipu Rūnanga and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu to update the bill to its current iteration, Hughey says.

This is only the second instance a Local Bill has been used to empower the voice of mana whenua in regional councils - the first was the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Māori Constituency Empowering Act in 2001.

Submissions can be made here.