Annie Te One explains why embedding Māori representation in local government shouldn’t be such a big deal. After the next local elections, Tauranga City Council will join Wairoa District Council and Bay of Plenty and Waikato Regional Councils in being the only local governments with designated Māori wards. Debates over Māori representation in local government, … Read more
Ngāti Tūwharetoa has just become the first iwi to be approved under the Resource Management Act to take over certain council duties. Here’s why that matters. In 1991, the Resource Management Act (RMA) allowed councils to transfer any of their functions to local iwi. Now, almost 30 years after that act was passed, the first … Read more
Among the hundreds of local government races under way, just over a dozen could have an outsize impact on environmental issues. Alex Braae explains why Regional Council elections matter. At the start of this month, aerial surveys showed more than 100 farms around the Waikato were a long way away from complying with environmental rules. … Read more