Local board chair apologises after leaving meeting due to karakia

Monday, 17 November 2025

The chair of a local community board has apologised for the “offence” caused after he walked out of the first meeting of the new term due to the pre-meeting karakia.

Mark Drury and fellow Whangamatā Community Board member, Deputy Chair Neil Evans, left the room where the meeting was being held while the karakia was being recited.

The meeting took place last Tuesday, November 11, with the incident caught on the official video recording.

The video recording of the meeting shows that the issue arose when the meeting chair announced that she would begin with a karakia.

She was then interrupted by Evans, who wanted to raise a point about the choice of karakia.

“I am a little bit uncomfortable with it, and I would prefer not to be part of that,” he said. “So if you will excuse me, the alternative is, as part of our tikanga in the past we have not had karakia, and that would suit me.”

The meeting chair told Evans he could leave if he wanted to, saying, “If you don’t want to partake, that’s OK.”

Evans then said it was “just this particular one [karakia]” he took issue with, but was then supported by Drury, who also said he would “prefer not to have a karakia”.

Both members then stood up and left the meeting room, while the remaining board members recited the karakia.

The karakia being recited was “Tūtawa” by Scotty Morrison.

It translates to, “Come forth from above, come forth from below, come forth from within, come forth from the environment, vitality and wellbeing for all, strengthened in unity.”

At the end of the meeting, the board closed with another karakia, with Drury leaving the room once again.

“I am going to step out for a minute. I don’t know how that works, but just did,” he said as he walked out the door.

Evans this time stayed in the room, saying he was “OK with this one”.

Whangamatā is part of the South Eastern Ward of the Thames-Coromandel District Council, which, in a statement to Stuff, shared an apology from Drury.

“I should have handled the situation in a manner that did not communicate disrespect. My genuine intent is to always show respect to people. Clearly I got it wrong in this situation.”

Drury continued, “I am very cognisant of the meaning and significance that a karakia has for many people in our community, including our iwi communities. I unreservedly apologise for the offence my actions have caused.”

A council spokesperson said Drury had undertaken to make this position clear to Evans so that no future offence will be caused.

Mayor Peter Revell says the Thames-Coromandel District Council uses karakia “frequently” in the opening and closing of meetings and will continue to do so.

“Our Council’s Standing Orders states that local authorities, boards and community boards may, at the start of a meeting, choose to recognise the civic importance of the occasion through some sort of reflection. This could be an expression of community values, a reminder of the members who have gone before, or a karakia,“ he said.

It is not the first time the reciting of a karakia has become an issue in local body politics.

In 2022, then Kaipara District mayor Craig Jepson stopped Kaipara’s first Māori ward councillor Pera Painora from saying a karakia at the start of a council meeting.

At the time, Jepson said karakia were not appropriate as council meetings should be secular.

He later walked back his decision, saying councillors can take turns in opening and closing meetings with a karakia, affirmation, prayer, or reflection.

An earlier version of this story said the Scotty Morrison karakia was titled “Tuwhera”. It is titled “Tūtawa”. (Amended at 3.20pm on November 18)