STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH

On 19th August a letter from Mr Rangitane Marsden (co-chair of the self-appointed Better Local Government Working Group – BLG) was sent to all whānau, hapū and iwi regarding local government reform in Northland.  It was later published in the Northland Age and included several claims about Ngāti Kahu and local government that are complete kaka. 

At their hui-a-marama on 24th July 2013 Te Runanga-a-Iwi o Ngāti Kahu instructed me to republish the truth about their position on local government. 

First, the hapū of Ngāti Kahu either represent themselves or instruct their mandated iwi authority to do so, and neither the BLG nor its Māori co-chair have sought or been given that mandate with regard to local government or any other matter. 

Second, Te Taitokerau Iwi Leaders Forum is an informal collective with absolutely no legal standing or representative capacity in its own right.  What’s more, it too still hasn’t sought nor gotten a mandate to represent Ngāti Kahu on local government or any other matter. 

Third, Mr Marsden concedes in his letter that the unanimous support of iwi for two Unitary Authorities in Taitokerau doesn’t include Ngāti Kahu.  But in the same paragraph he claims to speak for a list of iwi that includes Ngāti Kahu.  Even a dead horse should’ve gotten the message by now; he doesn’t.  

Fourth, Mr Marsden asserts in his letter that Ngāti Kahu reject any form of local government.    Wrong again.  Ngāti Kahu hapū are clear that local government has a number of Crown-delegated roles and responsibilties in their respective rohe.  They’re equally clear that local government authority does not supersede their own hapū rangatiratanga under He Hakaputanga and Te Tiriti.  As such they are less concerned with the legislated structure of local government and more focused on its legislated mandate to properly engage with them.

Finally, Mr Marsden’s letter was written on a miscellaneous letterhead of Taitokerau Iwi Leaders Forum – Te Hiku o Te Ika – Te Waka o Taonui.  Regardless of whether or not such a hotch-potch organisation exists, the fact remains that neither he nor it speak for Ngāti Kahu. 

And that is the truth about Ngāti Kahu and local government, based on the facts and straight ...