July 01, 2014
Real Issues for Tai Tokerau Committee
Northland Regional Councillor Dover Samuels says the council’s new Maori advisory committee he chairs should rise above disputes over treaty settlements.
More than 100 people turned out for the committee’s first meeting at Otiria Marae on Friday, including a couple of the Ngapuhi Runanga which had said it would boycott it.
Mr Samuels says that’s a good sign, as there’s no room for mana munching in what the council is trying to do.
"We want to enter meaningful engagement with whanau and hapu. We’re talking about fresh water, wai ora, we’re talking about ataha moana, we’re talking about coastal plans, air quality, our kauri, our forests, our pests, these everyday issues that are not caught up in the mandate situation regarding the Ngapuhi treaty claim," he says.
Mr Samuels says the committee is needed even if the Local Government Commission goes ahead with its plan to merge the regional council into a unitary authority for the north.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH DOVER SAMEULS CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MTk2MzY=
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