Listen Now: 
Tauranga City Council’s joint ownership solution with Otamataha Trust for the land beneath the city’s new civic precinct has won the award for Māori-council partnerships at the Local Government Excellence Awards.
Commission chair Anne Tolley says she was proud of the relationship the council has developed with Otamataha Trust during the joint land ownership process, which was submitted for the award as the “Right Thing to Do” project.
The unique structure was a great example of how councils can work in genuine partnership with mana whenua to help achieve collective goals.
The new precinct, to be called Te Manawataki o Te Papa, the heartbeat of Te Papa, will include a library and community hub, civic whare or public meeting house, museum, and an exhibition gallery.
Trust chair Puhirake Ihaka says the award is a tribute to the many leaders who have maintained the presence of tangata whenua through grace and patience.
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