August 06, 2021
Iwi chairs getting up to speed
A long time member of the Iwi Chairs Forum says this week’s session in Whanganui is one of the best he has attended.
Haami Piripi from Te Rarawa says the hui have become a useful way to develop consensus and bring iwi up to speed on issues that might affect them, with government agencies and ministers usually showing up to make presentations or get feedback.
He says there are a lot of new faces.
"That's the good thing about having democratically-elected representatives because you always know you are talking to the head of the horse rather than the tail. When that happens you get a bit of movement. We've got movement and we've got understanding so the task for us now is to strategically align our objectives and ensure that we aid and support each other's progress and prosperity," Mr Piripi says.
The Iwi Chairs created a new peacemaker award, which went to lawyer and constitutional theorist Moana Jackson.
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