Draft agreement available sooner than expected
Published on 29 January 2025
The draft relationship agreement between Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiations Trust and Whanganui District Council is now available to view on the council website. Originally the draft document was due to go to the Thursday, 13 February council meeting.
Whanganui District Council Mayor, Andrew Tripe, says talks on the relationship agreement – known as Te Tomokanga ki Te Matapihi – have progressed more quickly than expected and he’s pleased the draft document can be released while community engagement is still open and ahead of the council’s meeting on 13 February.
“Through our information sharing and engagement sessions, we heard a number of people say they’d like to read the agreement to gain a greater understanding of what’s involved. Prior to this we had shared a summary of the relationship agreement – I’m really pleased we’ve agreed on a draft while engagement is still open so our community has the opportunity to see exactly what the draft says prior to the council meeting on 13 February.”
He says elected members will discuss adopting the relationship agreement at the 13 February council meeting. As the relationship agreement is part of the wider Treaty settlement between the Crown and Hapū/Iwi, a decision needs to be made on it before the Treaty settlement process with the Crown can be concluded – this is why the two-month community engagement period had to be scheduled for December and January.
Treaty settlement negotiations between Hapū/Iwi and the Crown are always confidential until a point of agreement has been reached. Negotiations are still progressing and are likely to conclude early this year.
The relationship agreement is intended to set a platform for joint work between the council and Takapau Whāriki, the post-settlement governance entity for the settlement.
“Developing this world-first agreement is a real milestone for Whanganui,” Mayor Andrew says. “We can see that a one-size-fits-all approach hasn’t worked for many of the social issues our community faces and I’m grateful to the Iwi and Hapū of Whanganui for their enthusiasm for finding ways to improve life for everyone in our community.
“For anyone who’s wondering, there are no increase to rates from the relationship agreement. It’s about us joining together to look at local needs and find local solutions that suit our community,” Mayor Andrew says.
Ken Mair says he encourages people to come along to the drop-in sessions to hear about how this approach will set a foundation for work that will benefit everyone.
“Through the informal drop-in sessions, it’s been great to hear people’s thoughts and help them understand our intention. The purpose of the relationship agreement is to foster collaboration so both parties are working in a strong partnership to strengthen our community – while we don’t yet know exactly what initiatives will emerge, we are united by a desire to benefit the hāpori (wider community).”
Drop-in session times:
Wednesday 29 January, 10.00am - 12.00pm Gonville Library
Thursday 30 January, 9.30 - 11.00am Lakefront lawn at Rotokawau Virginia Lake (weather dependent)
Thursday 30 January, 4.15 - 5.45pm Castlecliff Community Hub and Library
Mayor Andrew says everyone is welcome to attend the drop-in sessions to ask questions and provide feedback.
“For those who can’t make it, a survey is available on the council website so you can share your thoughts before engagement closes at 5.00pm this Sunday, 2 February 2025.To find out more and to complete the survey, visit the Whanganui District Council website: www.whanganui.govt.nz/post-treaty-settlement
You can read the relationship agreement here: A relationship agreement Whanganui District Council