Mair and Mayor lead community panel kōrero

Published on 05 December 2024

From left: Chief Crown Negotiator Rick Barker, Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiations Trust Executive Assistant Aimee Simon, Mayor Andrew Tripe, Chair of the Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiations Trust Ken Mair, Councillor Charlotte Melser

Joint release from Whanganui District Council and Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiations Trust

 Whanganui District Council’s post-Treaty settlement relationship with Hapū and Iwi will be the topic of two panel discussions taking place on Monday, 9 December 2024 at the Whanganui War Memorial Centre.

The panel will include the Chair of the Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiations Trust, Ken Mair, Mayor Andrew Tripe and Chief Crown Negotiator Rick Barker – and the sessions will include opportunities for questions from the community (both in person and online).

Ken Mair says, “These events are a great opportunity for our hāpori to see, hear and discuss the advantages of Hapū, Iwi and Council relationships and how working together benefits us all”.

The council wants to engage with the Whanganui hāpori (community) ahead of making key decisions about on a platform for joint work with Takapau Whariki, the post-settlement governance entity for the Whanganui Land Settlement.

Mayor Andrew Tripe says, “Our engagement period opened on 2 December and will run through until 2 February.

“We acknowledge that this is a busy time for everyone, but, due to the negotiations process, we haven’t been able to share information until now.

He says, “It’s unusual for councils to be engaging with the public prior to a treaty settlement. These discussions usually take place after the ink is dry, but in this case we are being asked to make decisions on some post-treaty settlement arrangements in time for finalisation in early 2025.

“I want to confirm that our decisions will be made in public, livestreamed on the council Facebook page and that we have extended the time for community engagement on this to two months – double the usual time.”

Ken Mair says, “We want to encourage our Hapū to also come along to these events. Hapū are just as much a part of our hāpori as everyone else”.

Engagement is now open on the council’s website. Mayor Andrew says, “There’s a lot of information there and a survey that you can complete – a very quick way to provide feedback. I encourage people to let us know their thoughts – or, even better, come along to one of our events to discuss these opportunities with us in person.”

Event details