Puketāpapa Local Board and Ngāti Tamaoho have signed an agreement to formalise their working relationship.
“Ngāti Tamaoho has an enduring relationship with the Puketāpapa area," said Harry Doig, chair of the Puketāpapa Local Board.
"We share a geographical area of mutual interest and this agreement means the local board and Auckland Council will be able to work more closely with Ngāti Tamaoho to benefit local communities."
The board represents the diverse communities of Three Kings, Hillsborough, Waikowhai, Lynfield, Mt Roskill, Roskill South and Wesley.
“This agreement will enable Ngāti Tamaoho to contribute to council decision making and service delivery, and provide opportunities for Ngāti Tamaoho to improve or expand its own community services,” said Mr Doig.
This signing is significant as Ngāti Tamaoho is the first iwi to partner with Puketāpapa Local Board. For Auckland Council, it is the fifth such agreement signed between a hapū or iwi and Auckland’s local boards.
This agreement between Puketāpapa Local Board and Ngāti Tamaoho acknowledges the mana of Ngāti Tamaoho and the role of the council in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Auckland Council is committed to achieving better outcomes for Māori and this is reflected in its strategic planning. One outcome identified through the Auckland Plan is 'A thriving Māori identity is Auckland's point of difference in the world... it advances prosperity for Māori and benefits all Aucklanders.'
“This is a great reminder of both the many benefits of the relationship and of the importance of having an opportunity to formally acknowledge and celebrate it," says Christine Herzog, Kaiwhakahaere of the Ngāti Tamaoho Trust.
“We had no hesitation when invited to have an agreement with this particular local board because we had already been very impressed by how appropriate and effective their engagement with us has been,” she says.
Ms Herzog also acknowledged the extraordinary effort each member of Puketāpapa Local Board had made to be able to introduce themselves in te reo on the day.
“This was a wonderful surprise and a significant indicator for us of how committed they are to having this relationship continue to flourish. We are looking forward to the next steps! Ko koe ki tena, ko au ki tenei kiwai o te kete.”
Specifically, the relationship agreement provides a partnership mechanism to see outcomes take shape around shared principles. Auckland Council and Ngāti Tamaoho, through the Ngāti Tamaoho Trust, have agreed to a Capacity Contract for capacity building activities in the area.
Capacity building calls for continuously nurturing local leadership and a community-led approach to development over the long term.
Formalising relationships with a specific commitment to working together is a piece of a larger puzzle of creating a city every Aucklander can feel proud of.
Know Ngāti Tamaoho
Ngāti Tamaoho is a Waikato-Tainui hapū and is a beneficiary of both the Waikato Raupatu Claims Settlement Act 1995 and the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Act 2010. Ngāti Tamaoho have three marae represented on Te Whakakitenga o Waikato (the Waikato-Tainui Tribal Parliament).
The Ngāti Tamaoho area of interest includes the Manukau Harbour and extends to Franklin, Hūnua Ranges, Awhitū Peninsula, the Waikato wetlands, Tīkapa Moana (Firth of Thames) and north to central Auckland including Remuera and Ellerslie. Historically the tribe also maintained ancestral connections (through their Ngāriki and Ngaiwi antecedents) with the North Shore and Waiheke Island.
