Kia ora koutou,
We hope this message finds you well. The Ruapehu District Council will soon decide on the future of Māori wards, as required by the new Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill.
To gather community input, the Council has scheduled two public meetings:
Ohakune Chambers: 6 PM on August 14
Taumarunui Chambers: 10 AM on September 4
As chairperson and president of our Residents and Ratepayers Society, I’ve been invited to share our society's views at the Taumarunui meeting, which will feature an extended public forum for members of the public, iwi chairs, and community board chairs.
Our Society’s Position
Although I won’t be able to attend in person due to prior commitments, I wanted to share my thoughts:
Inclusive Representation: It's important that all elected members represent the entire community fairly and transparently. I understand that Māori perspectives are valuable to any decisions being made and believe they should be taken into consideration. However, for the purpose of serving our community as a council member, I believe that representation should be based on community-wide elections, avoiding bias and ensuring that decisions benefit all ratepayers and the community as a whole.
Consultation and Engagement: We support ongoing discussions with all community members, including iwi, through various public forums to ensure diverse perspectives are considered. We’ve seen issues with community exclusion in projects like Teitei Drive, where not all stakeholders were consulted, this cannot happen in the future.
Commitment and Dedication: Council members should be actively involved in meetings and workshops to make informed decisions. We've recently seen instances where elected members changed their votes after initial statements, which undermines effective representation. It is important that council members are active within the community, this allows them to get to know their constituency, and in turn will help them make decisions that best meet the needs of the area.
Future Candidates: We encourage anyone interested in running for local council elections next year to reach out and commit to an open and transparent approach. Our goal is to improve community engagement and ensure that important matters are properly consulted.
We urge all community members to attend these meetings, either in person or virtually, to voice your opinions on Māori wards. Your input is crucial to ensure the Council's decision reflects our collective views.
How to Participate
If you’d like to join the Taumarunui meeting virtually, please let us know, and we’ll provide the Zoom link.
Ngā mihi, Barry Murphy
ORS Chair
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