Māori are set to pay a greater role in Waikato District Council affairs after the October local government elections.
The council intend to add specialist Māori representatives to its principle committees, including Strategy and Finance; Infrastructure; and Policy and Regulatory.
Mayor Allan Sanson says the move was a priority for the Waikato District Council – Waikato Tainui Joint Management Agreement committee.
It will be put to a vote at this month's council meeting, and if approved, the three-year positions will be advertised after the election, with the appointments made by an independent panel involving both iwi and council. .
The representatives would have voting and speaking rights at committee meetings.
The Local Government Act 2002 and the Resource Management Act 1991 require councils to provide opportunities for Māori to contribute to local government decision-making, and councils around the country are wrestling with how to best do that.
!["p_facebook"]("/site/uma/images/story_img/facebook.jpg")
& !["p_twitter"]("/site/uma/images/story_img/twitter.jpg")
Copyright © 2019, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
