Hokonui Rūnanga and Gore District Council sign a Charter of Understanding

Tuesday, 14 December 2021

Gore district mayor Tracy Hicks and Hokonui Rūnanga deputy chairman Terry Stott sign a Charter of Understanding between the two entities.

Their relationship has not always been an easy one, but the Gore District Council and Hokonui Rūnanga have signed a Charter of Understanding to work together for the betterment of the community.

The signing of the Charter took place on Tuesday at the Hokonui Rūnanga before iwi and councillors. Hokonui Rūnanga chair Taare Bradshaw and executive board members were among guests, and deputy chairman Terry Stott signed on the Rūnanga’s behalf.

Kaiārihi Taiao Riki Parata said the Rūnanga was looking forward to continuing to grow its relationship with the council, the mayor, councillors and kaimahi.

“The renewal and strengthening of this Charter assures the Hokonui Rūnanga of the dedication and commitment from the council.

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“We are encouraged by the growth over the previous couple of years from the council with its engagement with iwi and will continue alongside it on its journey.”

Gore district mayor Tracy Hicks said the charter showed maturity within the council, in terms of its understanding of the role of iwi in the community.

“I look forward to growing our relationship into something deeper and more meaningful than in the past.

“While we are different, as organisations, the council and Rūnanga both want the same - what’s best for our people and the sustainable management of our environment.’’

The document says the intended outcome of the Charter of Understanding is to facilitate a relationship of mutual benefit between the Rūnanga and the council.

It says the relationship will be mutually beneficial and based on good faith, co-operation and the principle of no surprises. It also says that there will from time to time be differences between the council and Rūnanga regarding the interpretation of the Treaty and the obligations that flow from it but that they will seek to work through these differences in good faith.

In September 2020 the Rūnanga opposed the council's resource consent application to build a bridge across the Mataura River, because the council did not consult with it before announcing its plans. The Rūnanga also went further, saying the council’s lack of consultation was ‘’a clear example of a culture of ignorance towards, or, at worst, active exclusion of mana whenua from planning processes”.

The Rūnanga later adopted a neutral position on the proposed bridge, after ongoing discussions between the Rūnanga and the council resolved the issues identified in its submission.

In July, Rūnanga told the council it would not support its resource consent applications to discharge treated wastewater to the Mataura River unless it includes some form of discharge to land, because it was culturally unacceptable to discharge it straight into the waterway.

The council and the Rūnanga had previously signed a charter of understanding, which was in response to Solid Energy’s coal mining proposals a decade ago.