March 27, 2013
Unitary council offers partnership to iwi
A far north iwi leader says a unitary authority offers Māori a real chance to guide the development of their region.
Rangitane Marsden from Ngāi Takoto is the Te Hiku Forum representative on the Far North District Council body that is pushing for the council.
The Local Government Commission has asked for comment on the proposal, which would merge the functions of district councils and the Northland Regional Council and include dedicated Māori seats.
Mr Marsden says iwi want to address the historic lack of commitment to Māori by both central and local government.
“Iwi of the far north are now the biggest asset holder. The economy is virtually going to be controlled by te iwi Māori. The question to them is ‘do you want a partnership that we can all work together strategically so that we can improve the outcomes for our communities which are the same communities – for our regions, which are the same regions – and rather than compete with each other, how about we partner up?,” he says.
Rangitane Marsden says iwi throughout Te Tai Tokerau believe they can work with a unitary authority to develop an economic and social growth strategy for the region.
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