October 29, 2012
Māori board challenging budget block
The chair of Auckland's Independent Māori Statutory Board says the Auckland Council can't keep the board from having a say on the city's budget.
Councillors voted 11-10 last week to keep consideration of the annual plan to the full council and not refer it to the strategy and finance committee, which includes two board members.
David Taipari says a combination of councillors who want the council to have more say and councillors who oppose the board's existence was behind the result.
But he says it is likely to be reversed because it puts the council in breach of the law.
"The law says that the board must be involved with the design and execution of policies and plans of council so that includes the annual plan, so removing the two members potential from the committee does not remove the board and its statutory obligations to that plan. Some may think we have been removed but they're wrong," Mr Taipari says.
The board could be able to challenge the annual plan if it was excluded from consideration of it.
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