Mana whenua representation stays

Ngāi Tahu Environment Canterbury (ECan) Councillors will continue to bring the voice of mana whenua to the regional council table.

ECan councillors today voted to decline the Minister for Local Government’s request to bring forward a local bill that would repeal the Canterbury Regional Council (Ngāi Tahu Representation) Act 2022.

The Act enables two Ngāi Tahu representatives to sit on the regional council.

The Ngāi Tahu councillors are Tutehounuku (Nuk) Korako (Ngāi Tūāhuriri, Ngāti Wheke) and Iaean Cranwell (Kāti Irakehu, Kāti Kurī, Kāti Makō). They were selected by Waitaha (Canterbury) Papatipu Rūnanga.

Te Rōpū Tuia Co-Chair Dr Liz Brown and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Kaiwhakahaere Justin Tipa have welcomed the decision to maintain the status quo.

“I mihi to those Environment Canterbury councillors who have stood fast to protect mana whenua representation this week,” Dr Liz Brown says.

“The Act is forward-looking, efficient, and most importantly, working.”

Dr Brown says the public has heard the Prime Minister laud the importance of localism, when he spoke on Waitangi Day.

“This Act is localism in action,” she says.

Justin Tipa says the Act has brought benefits for ECan, Cantabrians and mana whenua alike since it was enacted.

“We have worked for a long time to ensure our people have full voting rights. Our Ngāi Tahu councillors have vast experience. They bring a breadth of knowledge and unique insights to the table. It was fantastic to hear that this was acknowledged by their fellow councillors today.”

Ahead of the vote, several ECan councillors spoke of improvements since the Act passed into law in 2022, including better local decision making, reduced legal costs, more efficient use of staff time and stronger relationships.