Minutes of Tangata Whenua / Tauranga City Council Committee meeting

unconfirmed Tangata Whenua / Tauranga City Council Committee meeting minutes

10 April 2024

MINUTES OF Tauranga City Council

Tangata Whenua / Tauranga City Council Committee meeting

HELD AT THE Hairini Marae, 9 Tamahika Street, Hairini, Tauranga

ON Wednesday, 10 April 2024 AT 9.30am

PRESENT: Commission Chair Anne Tolley, Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston, Commissioner Bill Wasley, Mr Puhirake Ihaka, Mr Whitiora McLeod, Ms Matire Duncan, Mr Nathan James.

IN ATTENDANCE: Marty Grenfell (Chief Executive), Coral Hair (Manager: Democracy & Governance Services), Carlo Ellis (Manager: Strategic Māori Engagement), Keren Paekau (Team Leader: Takawaenga Māori), Cynthia Hamel (Kaiarahi Māori), Tuana Kuka (Kaiarahi Māori), Anahera Dinsdale (Acting Team Leader: Governance Services), Caroline Irvin (Governance Advisor).

EXTERNAL: Te Pio Kawe, Irene Walker, Des Heke, Pine McLeod, Rhondel Reihana.

The Committee began with a powhiri and light refreshments before moving into the official meeting.

1 Opening karakia

A karakia to open the meeting was given at the powhiri.

2 Apologies

Apology

Committee Resolution TW2/24/1

Moved: Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston

Seconded: Commissioner Bill Wasley

That the apology for absence received from Mr Anthony Fisher, Commissioner Stephen Selwood and Mr Buddy Mikaere be accepted.

Carried

3 Public forum

Nil

4 Acceptance of late items

Nil

5 Confidential business to be transferred into the open

Nil

6 Change to order of business

Nil

7 Confirmation of minutes

7.1 Minutes of the Tangata Whenua / Tauranga City Council Committee meeting held on 21 February 2024

Committee Resolution TW2/24/2

Moved: Ms Matire Duncan

Seconded: Mr Puhirake Ihaka

That the Minutes of the Tangata Whenua / Tauranga City Council Committee meeting held on 21 February 2024 be confirmed as a true and correct record.

Carried

8 Declaration of conflicts of interest

Nil

9 Deputations, presentations, petitions

9.1 Ngai Te Ahi Hapū Presentation

Externals Mr Te Pio Kawa and Ms Irene Walker

PowerPoint Presentation: Ētahi Kaupapa mā te Kaunihera

Key Points

· The whakatau recognised the huge amount of work undertaken by the Commissioners during their time on this Committee and made specific reference around rectifying misdemeanours from the past.

· This was about bringing balance, certainty and commitment to future growth and development for the entire hapori (community).

· Ngai te Ahi hapū’s boundary extended beyond Tauranga city, however, as with all hapū, the focus and centre was the whare/meeting house. This meant there were common values and concepts that were important to all tangata whenua.

· Current issues raised today would have enduring outcomes in terms of supporting the mokopuna who attended the powhiri today and would be sitting in these seats in the future. It was about the legacy left behind by the Committee and hapū for them to continue.

· Today was about taking an important opportunity to highlight key issues for the hapū, Ngai te Ahi, Ngati He, Hairini, Waimapu Estuary, Maungatapu, Te Tahuna o Tetehe, Te Tahuna o Nga Papaka o Rangataua that formed part of the rohe.

· Past members of the hapu were acknowledged, in particular their hard work in setting up the tangata collective to address common issues. Attendees today were representing these members and aspired to continue their mahi. The knowledge that had been passed on would never leave and there was much pride in who we were.

· Kuia, Auntie Mihi’s attendance was acknowledged as was her knowledge of the history of the hapu and its people.

· Hairini Marae was situated in Hairini because of the vision the people of the hapū had to bring the wharenui from Poike to Hairini. The marae faced Mauao, across Te Awanui and Tauranga Moana.

· The original papakāinga surrounding Hairini marae were condemned by the governing body at the time because they lacked infrastructure/water services. The presiding kaumatua then led the approach for redevelopment and sections were created for whanau (the original tenants) to relocate to. The infrastructure was paid for by the sale of the front ten sections of Haukore Street.

· A key part of the discussions with Kāinga Ora was that all the houses that had surrounded Hairini Marae/Ngai te Ahi hapū were part of its original papakāinga. It was important for the hapū to be represented in the redevelopment and design of housing in the area as this was their identity and whenua that included being relocated back into those houses.

· Ngai te Ahi acknowledged their sponsors, in particular Tauranga City Council (TCC), for their sponsorship of Mana kura tahi, the primary school national kapahaka competitions. Ngai te Ahi and Ngati He were represented for the first time in Whakatu (Nelson) and won second place in the competition.

Whakahokia o te Pahou – The Return of Te Pahou

· At the Council meeting on 26 February 2024, the submissions received for the return of Te Pahou clearly showed unanimous support. This clearly demonstrated how whanau and various associated trusts felt about this revered site.

Te Pahou Celebration during Matariki

· Matariki would be a hapū hautapu led kaupapa, with the organising committee meeting tomorrow to work on achieving better representation and engagement for whanau from both hapu. A better turnout was expected for this year’s event.

· The kaupapa of the return of Te Pahou Ngāi as a significant site for Ngai te Ahi rohe was another steppingstone in Ngai te Ahi’s tanga (identity). This was a chance to create and develop hautapu ceremony.

· The way Matariki was celebrated, the rituals and ceremonies, and what it meant in terms of planning a future direction for Ngāi te Ahi, was an opportunity to bring everyone together and create better recognition of it.

· Matariki stars had their own kaupapa and tikanga associated with them, which was an opportunity to prepare karakia, and tell stories for each one.

· Maumaharatanga was the remembrance and recognition of those who had passed on in the previous year.

· Te whāngai i ngā Whetu gave homage to each of the Matariki elements that brought together and connected hapū.

· Hapū were working with TCC on an application for a community grant to contribute towards the te pahou Matariki celebration.

· This was also about the recognition of the Ngai te Ahi hapū tamariki, mokopuna and pakeke to these sites of significance that made up the Ngai te Ahi world.

Hammond Street Reserve - Te Pahou Urupa - Des Heke

· The Hammond Street Reserve land was a subject of return for hapū. It ran adjacent to, and contiguous to, Te Pahou urupa.

· Since its revelation, whanau had been able to gain an understanding of how revered this site was and why it was sanctified as a resting place for tupuna.

· There were marked and unmarked grave sites.

· This area had been a strategic stronghold, deliberately positioned close to the entrance to Kaitemako stream and had strong connections to other Pa sites.

· There were opportunities through wānanga and pepeha to look after these taonga and sites of significance.

· This was not just a planting project but also about remediating and reconnecting to the land. It was about adding key cultural elements to the project that included knowledge and succession.

· An alternative ecological report was commissioned by the hapū, resulting in eels being relocated to the Kaitemako stream.

Ngāi Te Ahi Rohe

· Ngāi te Ahi’s southern boundary extended to the Ohaupara Stream, creating the connection with Te Arawa hapū.

· Ngāi te Ahi has far reaching ancestral connections. This was why their boundary extended to Ōtanewainuku and Pūwhenua.

· Te Tiriti o Waitangi settlement included the vesting of part of these two above named areas to Ngāi te Ahi, Ngāti Ruahine and Ngāi Tamarāwaho. Therefore, there were very similar areas of interest between these rohe.

· The maps provided today were an important opportunity to clarify on the TCC website the area/location of influence and interest that Ngāi te Ahi had.

· There was a huge amount of resourcing required for all the work that needed to be done. Therefore, it needed to be a working partnership between Council and the working parties of the rohe.

· It would be beneficial to start a cadetship program again, or similar initiative, as it would inspire young people to come to the table and get involved.

· Resource management processes needed to be more streamlined and inclusive of Māori.

· Ngai te Ahi and Ngati He had whenua to support the housing aspirations of its whanau, an example being the Kaitemako catchment blocks.

· The Kaitemako catchment blocks were effectively about 171 hectares. 92 of these hectares were likely to be developable and could provide for around two to three hundred homes.

· The main obstacle to this development was that it was predominantly rural and lacked the infrastructure needed for whanau to return to these areas.

· Hapū were working with the combined Tangata Whenua Forum, City Deals and Priority One in terms of feasibility, structure planning, infrastructure building and establishing work streams to facilitate the future development of housing in this area.

· This was an important discussion in terms of assisting whanau who were on a waiting list, or falling into gaps and could not get onto a waiting list, for housing.

· Banks were now requiring a hapū partition. Currently, the Māori Land Court was under extreme pressure and had a back log to process any application, which made a complicated process even longer.

· It was important for whanau to have a trusting support network to start these processes and work through the obstacles together to achieve their goals.

39 Haukore Street Playground

· The physical landscape of Haukore Street would change due to further development which meant the demand on the 800 square metres of the playground would increase significantly. This was a project for Ngai te Ahi.

· This was an opportunity for cultural integration and Māori design that would create a sense of identity for the playground.

· A local resident who lived close to the playground all his life advised the Committee that there were numerous health and safety issues that included it being wet and slippery, in particular in winter, causing children to slip and fall when walking and cycling, large holes in the fence that cut the children when they moved through them, and a very large tree that blocked sunlight and shed leaves that also created a slippery/hazardous surface.

Hairini Street Bus Lane

· It was felt this piece of road was an underutilised resource. There was an opportunity to open and share the road for public access outside of peak traffic hours.

· Several public meetings were held at Hairini Mārae before the creation of the bus lane where health and safety issues were discussed such as decreasing the speed limit and limiting usage times.

· Ngai te Ahi would like to discuss and explore more options to utilise this bus lane with Council’s transport team. Included in this discussion was korero about the Hairini Bridge/Welcome Bay Link Road waterway and the amount of traffic congestion. Safe passageways for children to walk and cycle to school from Hairini to Maungatapu was also an issue and a project.

Water Resource Consent Initiative

· The next big initiative for Ngai te Ahi was working together with Ngati He and Ngati Ruahine around resource consents regarding water.

· There was a desire to be situated within the management/head of these discussions, as well as acknowledging the importance of the whenua and the water that surrounded us.

Ms Walker acknowledged that Council and Ngai te Ahi had a great working relationship that had shared common goals and mana which was very beneficial to Ngai te Ahi in terms of their projects and aspirations.

In response to questions

· The thinking around annual planning on resource management was in terms of what a full-time equivalent position would be and the opportunity this would provide as an Annual Plan submission for the following year.

· The Hairini Street Bus Lane project was seen as work adjacent to the Fifteenth Avenue corridor work and as such was a key project for Ngai te Ahi.

· The Manager: Strategic Māori Engagement advised his team would look into the 39 Haukore Street Playground matter as part of Council’s renewals program. It was agreed there needed to be more maintenance done to the tree and footpaths.

· It was not Ngai te Ahi’s preference to sell properties/land to fund their projects because their resources were limited. A primary concern was to retain land already owned and seek housing opportunities through entities such as Ministry for Urban Development and Te Puni Kōkiri around providing the most appropriate infrastructure to the highest standards possible to ensure longevity that would support future generations.

Discussion points raised

· Commission Chair Tolley queried whether the Hairini Street Bus Lane had already been considered by Council to be open outside of normal business hours. It would be raised at the next Tauranga Public Transport Joint Committee meeting.

· Commission Chair Tolley confirmed that the Manager Strategic Māori Engagement would assist Ngai te Ahi with their community grant application.

· Commission Chair Tolley thanked the presenters for a thorough and interesting presentation, in particular, around the history of Ngai te Ahi.

Committee Resolution TW2/24/3

Moved: Mr Whitiora McLeod

Seconded: Commissioner Bill Wasley

That the Tangata Whennua/Tauranga City Council Committee:

· Receives the Ngai te Ahi Hapū presentation.

Carried

10 Business

10.1 Te Rangapu Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana Report

Staff Matire Duncan

Key Points

· There was a lot of concern around the Fast Track Consent bill. Ms Duncan highlighted concerns around whether there would be the right type of engagement with tangata whenua and more time to have conversations around submissions, and what would be allowed and what would be overridden.

· A workshop with Kiritapu Allan was planned for Friday 12 April 2024 where she would be talking about the bill and its impacts on tangata whenua.

· There was also concern around Māori Wards and the 2024 elections.

· The upcoming elections and candidates for this election were of concern for Te Rangapu Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana. Therefore, they would fully support and welcome a crown observer in some form when the Commission finished their term.

Discussion points raised

· In response to the concerns raised around the Māori Wards, Commission Chair Tolley advised it was extremely difficult for local government when there was a change of central government and a change in legislation. It could be useful for TCC and Te Rangapu Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana to join WBOPDC in making a submission to advise how difficult this would be for local government over the next four years as there would also be a representation review.

· The Commission would officially be recommending to the Minister for Local Government that a Crown Observer be appointed. Crown Observers did not have any power but provided a form of continuity and support to an incoming Council who would be running a complex business organisation with a large capital budget and a lot going on.

· The committee requested that a resolution be put forward to show their support of the Commission’s intention to recommend a Crown Observer be appointed.

· Commission Chair Tolley advised they had put in a submission regarding the Fast Track Consent bill which had raised similar issues to Te Rangapu Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana.

· Commission Chair Tolley formally acknowledged the role of Te Rangapu Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana on this Committee and thanked Ms Duncan for her continued leadership and reporting which was extremely important.

Committee Resolution TW2/24/4

Moved: Ms Matire Duncan

Seconded: Mr Whitiora McLeod

That the Tangata Whenua / Tauranga City Council Committee:

(a) Receives the report ‘Te Rangapu Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana Report’.

Carried

Committee Resolution TW2/24/5

Moved: Mr Whitiora McLeod

Seconded: Mr Puhirake Ihaka

That the Tangata Whenua / Tauranga City Council Committee:

(b) Supports the intention of the Commission to request that the Minister for Local

Government appoints a Crown Observer for up to twelve months for the new incoming

Council.

Carried

action

That Ms Matire Duncan be provided with a copy of the submission regarding the Fast Track Consent bill, as submitted by the Commission.

10.2 Tangata Whenua Presentations Updates

Staff: Carlo Ellis, Manager: Strategic Māori Engagement

Key Points

· The presentation given today by Ngai te Ahi members, and its significance, was acknowledged.

· An overview of Tangata Whenua matters and updates was provided.

· The discussions taking place with Whareroa Marae were around future proofing the options available to them. These were options that were within Council’s control, could be worked on together, and could be considered at their own time and pace, but which were also within the realms of cultural activities that would support them thriving and functioning well as a community. There was no focus on relocation.

· At the last Mangatawa Marae meeting a motion was carried to reinstate the Onsite Effluent System for the marae. This was a great result, enabling the installation of this system.

In response to questions

· The next step for Hei Marae regarding the Waiari project was a planned meeting with Kaituna River Authority to ensure alignment of processes. This matter was progressing well.

· There was not enough road reserve on Waimapu Pā Road to install a footpath. There needed to be conversations with a number of landowners in order to facilitate this which would take time. Any lighting installed along the road had to be placed where the speed humps were and was for both motorists and pedestrians. Staff would look into whether lighting could be installed independently of speed humps.

Discussion points raised

· Commission Chair Tolley advised that Council had been approached by the Whareroa Marae committee regarding future proofing the marae. There had been much discussion around what the future looked like and the fact that changes would have to be made. Cyclone Gabrielle had demonstrated that for many marae there were no good alternatives within the rohe, however there needed to be other options found. It was acknowledged that changes needed to be made at the marae’s pace, and of their own choice, as opposed to being forced to do it as a result of a civil emergency. The Commission would like to ensure these options were available to them before their term of office ended.

· Commission Chair Tolley advised the Commission would recommend to the incoming Council that they continue with meetings at marae as they had learnt a lot in their time doing this. They would also recommend the continuation of the ongoing Tangata Whenua update report as this had proved very useful to all parties.

Committee Resolution TW2/24/6

Moved: Commissioner Bill Wasley

Seconded: Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston

That the Tangata Whenua / Tauranga City Council Committee:

· Receives the Tangata Whenua Presentations Updates report.

Carried

11 Discussion of late items

Nil

12 Closing karakia

Mr Te Pio Kawe closed the meeting with a karakia.

The meeting closed at 12.25pm.

The minutes of this meeting were confirmed as a true and correct record at the Tangata Whenua / Tauranga City Council Committee meeting held on 12 June 2024.

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CHAIRPERSON