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Engagement events - 9 December 2024 11 am and 5.30 pm at the Whanganui War Memorial Centre. All welcome!

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Engagement events - 9 December 2024 11 am and 5.30 pm at the Whanganui War Memorial Centre. All welcome!

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Come to hear our panellists discuss the way forward for Whanganui post-treaty settlement. Bring your questions and awesome ideas - there's kōrero time afterwards as well - with a cuppa tea!

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On 28 November, Whanganui district councillors decided to engage with the Whanganui community about decisions on a platform for joint work with Takapau Whariki, the post-settlement governance entity for the Whanganui Land Settlement.

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Published on 28 November 2024

A series of summer information and engagement sessions will be held this December and in January to encourage the community to find out more about Whanganui District Council's post-settlement relationship with Iwi - and share their thoughts about proposed arrangements.

Mayor Andrew Tripe says, "In December 2018, Whanganui District Council made a commitment to explore a relationship that would see the council walk beside Whanganui Hapū/Iwi in support of their Treaty land settlement negotiations."

Treaty settlement negotiations between the Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiations Trust (WLSNT) and the Crown are now nearing their conclusion and are expected to be finalised in early 2025.

Mayor Andrew says, "The settlement acknowledges the wrongs of the past - and also charts a course for the future." He says the council will have an important role to play in terms of the relationship with Whanganui Hapū/Iwi.

Prior to finalisation of the Treaty settlement, the council is being asked to make decisions on a platform for joint work with Takapau Whariki, the post-settlement governance entity for the Whanganui Land Settlement. The platform consists of:

Adopting the relationship agreement - Te Tomokanga ki Te Matapihi

Entering into a Statutory Reserves Board - Ngā Tūtei a Maru, subject to finalisation of the Whanganui Land Settlement

Agreeing to the establishment of a charitable trust - Toitū te Whānau

Mayor Andrew says, "These decisions will be the next steps in our relationship journey with Whanganui Hapū and Iwi. We are excited to share where we are at, and keen to have open conversations with our community to support our decision-making.

"The shift into the post-settlement era for Whanganui Hapū/Iwi provides a unique opportunity for the council to embark on new ways of working that will centre local needs and local solutions. We see great potential to build on existing work together."

Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiations Trust Chair Ken Mair says, "We are excited to reset our relationship with the council based upon our collective mātāpono (values) and to work together on two exceptional kaupapa (initiatives) that will benefit not just our Whanganui Iwi and Hapū, but our whole hāpori (community) residing within our tribal domain."

A programme of community engagement will run through the summer, starting on Monday, 2 December 2024, when people will be able to access information and submit their thoughts and questions via the Whanganui District Council website. The engagement period will close on Monday, 2 February 2025.

Two public panel sessions will be held on Monday 9 December 2024, at the Whanganui War Memorial Centre.

Panellists will include the Chair of the Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiations Trust Ken Mair, Mayor Andrew Tripe, Chief Crown Negotiator Rick Barker, Councillor Jenny Duncan, Whanganui Land Settlement Trust Project Manager Tracey Waitokia and Executive Assistant, Aimee Simon.

Mayor Andrew says, "We're delighted to be engaging with the community jointly with members of the Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiations Trust and Te Arawhiti (the Office for Māori Crown Relations) which means the information available will be robust, with much expertise in the room."

Further community engagement will take place in January with Community Kōrero events and he says, "We look forward to meeting members of our community in person at these events where we can share information and hear ideas and points of view. This will help us as we make our decisions at a full council meeting in mid-February."

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Joint media release with Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiations Trust

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Whanganui District Council wants to engage with the community ahead of its post-settlement relationship with Ngā Hapū o Te Iwi o Whanganui. A series of summer information and engagement sessions will be held this December and in January to encourage the community to find out more - and share their thoughts about proposed arrangements.

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Some of the expert panel members and facilitators who will be available to answer your questions and hear your ideas on 9 December. 

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Some of the expert panel members and facilitators who will be available to answer your questions and hear your ideas on 9 December. 

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Come and meet the panel team from left: Rick Barker Chief Crown Negotiator, Aimee Simon Executive Assistant for the Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiations Trust, Mayor Andrew Tripe, Ken Mair Chair of the Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiations Trust and Councillor Charlotte Melser (panel facilitator). We will also have Whanganui land Settlement Negotiations Trust Project Manager Tracey Waitokia and Councillor Jenny Duncan on hand for this one too. Too good an opportunity to miss!

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RNZ reporter Moana Ellis covered the story

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RNZ reporter Moana Ellis covered the story

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Read all about it!

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Whanganui council moves toward landmark iwi partnership

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Whanganui council is going public with aspects of the Treaty settlement being negotiated by iwi before it considers signing up to a binding “world-first indigenous-council partnership”.

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Click to read about successful co-design - partnership in practice

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Click to read about successful co-design - partnership in practice

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“Bringing ... local stories that iwi know better than anyone into the building itself means the building is a much stronger expression of where we are and who we are and it’s made it a much more powerful symbol for Whanganui.” Andrew Clifford - Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery Director.

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A new era: Sarjeant Gallery redevelopment represents Whanganui’s modern identity

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‘It’s going to really accelerate that rebirth or renaissance that Whanganui’s had.’

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100%.

The public will still have unfettered (free) access as they do currently.

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The reserves would be Pukenamu Queen's Park, Tāwhero – Gonville Domain, Pākaitore/Moutoa Historic Reserve (to be known as Pākaitore Historic Reserve) and specific sections of Mōwhanau village. All of these areas would remain reserves under the Reserves Act and the public would have unfettered access as they do now. See our maps >>>

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Here's a map of the sections of Mōwhanau proposed to be administered by the Reserves Board.

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Here's a map of the sections of Mōwhanau proposed to be administered by the Reserves Board.

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Map of Gonville Domain - Crown-owned areas

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Map of Gonville Domain - Crown-owned areas

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This map shows Pukenamu Queen's Park - which would also be administered by the board.

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This map shows Pukenamu Queen's Park - which would also be administered by the board.

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Map of Pakaitore, which is also proposed to be administered by the Reserves Board

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Map of Pakaitore, which is also proposed to be administered by the Reserves Board

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Mōwhānau Engagement Event- Monday 16th December 5:30pm at Rapanui Mōwhānau Community Centre - Kai Iwi Beach Hall, Mōwhānau Drive

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Mōwhānau Engagement Event- Monday 16th December 5:30pm at Rapanui Mōwhānau Community Centre - Kai Iwi Beach Hall, Mōwhānau Drive

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Come along to hear our panelists discuss the way forward for Whanganui post-treaty settlement. This event will have a focus on the reserve aspirations and will touch on Toitū te Whānau and the relationship agreement.

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Pop-up sessions are happening throughout January at libraries and community centres near you! Everyone's welcome!

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Pop-up sessions are happening throughout January at libraries and community centres near you! Everyone's welcome!

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Come and join us for a relaxed kōrero about the Whanganui Land Settlement aspirations. It’s a great chance to ask any questions you may have and enjoy a cup of tea with us afterward. Check out the times:

Thursday, 23 January 2025
Alexander Library - Te Rerenga Mai o Te Kāuru
9.30am-11am

Thursday, 23 January 2025
Hakeke Street Community Centre
4.30pm-6pm

Wednesday, 29 January
Gonville Library
10am-12pm

Thursday, 30 January
Rotokawau Virginia Lake on the front lawn (weather dependent)
9.30am-11am

Thursday, 30 January
Castlecliff Community Hub & Library
4.15pm-5.45pm

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At this stage in the process, there are no additional or specific costs to the council for the three initiatives currently being discussed.

The relationship agreement focuses on working together in a values-based way to benefit the Whanganui community, emphasising open communication and transparency. The direct costs to ratepayers are expected to be very small.

Statutory Reserves Board Setup: The Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiation Trust (WLSNT) is providing a $500,000 setup fund for the Board. In the immediate term, there will be no changes to the council’s costs for reserve management. The council will continue to maintain the reserves as it does now, ensuring the cost to ratepayers remains minimal. Reserve management planning will flow into long term and annual budgeting processes, as it currently does. The cost of any appointees to the Board will be worked on later after the negotiations process is complete and once the Board is established. What we can confirm is that the Board fees will not be significant.

Toitū te Whānau: The costs for this entity are still being determined as WLSNT are still in the early stages of developing and shaping this concept in partnership with the Crown agencies. Much like the Statutory Reserves Board, in the immediate term the Crown agencies who will work with this initiative, will bring their own resourcing, and cover their own costs. The WLSNT will also make a financial contribution to the establishment costs.

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Timelines and decisions for the Treaty settlement process are guided by the Crown and the Whanganui Land Settlement Trust’s timeline. The council's role is to engage with the community on the decisions the council has to make, but the overall timeline and important decisions are outside of our control.

The council has been advised the Treaty settlement negotiations are nearing their conclusion. We understand a deed of settlement is likely to be initialed in early 2025. That means the council needs to make decisions on 13 February 2025 ahead of the settlement process being finalised.

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The opportunities Whanganui Land Settlement Iwi and Hapū have integrated into their settlement bring benefits to our community as a whole. It's clear that a one-size-fits-all approach from central government is not working.

By partnering with the Whanganui Land Settlement, we are leading a shift towards local solutions for local issues, which is a positive and necessary step.

As community leaders, we can understand local needs, challenges, and strengths, enabling us to create tailored, effective solutions that central government cannot.

Together, we can develop approaches that truly reflect the unique needs of our community.

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The council (and/or community groups) will continue to own and maintain the buildings at Pukenamu Queens Park and at the Gonville/Tawhero Domain.