April 18, 2023
Go-it-alone mayor irks iwi
A Māori ward councillor in the Gisborne District Council says the mayor and chief executive were warned unilateral decision-making would lead to an iwi backlash – and that’s exactly what has happened.
Mayor Rehette Stoltz has pulled the council out of Rau Tipu Rau Ora, a partnership body with iwi, health and community groups which was set up in 2020 to develop and implement the Tairāwhiti Covid-19 pandemic response and recovery plan.
Rhonda Tibble says iwi felt it was also the right vehicle to lead the recovery from cyclone’s Hale and Gabrielle, but the mayor claimed civil defence legislation meant the council had to take the lead.
“The Māori Ward councillors were very clear to our mayor and our CEO, that we thought it was going to have huge push back from our manawhenua partners, and iwi partners – and we cautioned them that that it could take our relationships backward with iwi,” she says.
Meanwhile, Ngāti Porou Rūnanga chair Selwyn Parata says Ms Stoltz’s decision shows the mayor doesn’t know how to partner with mana whenua.