SMOLDERS AT 18

Far North District Councillor Davina Smolders has been ranked 18th on the ACT Party list. ACT would need to secure around 14–15% of the party vote for her to enter Parliament as a list MP. The party is currently polling at around 9%.

MANA WHAKAHONO AGREEMENTS: GONE OR RENAMED?

 The Government has confirmed that existing Mana Whakahono ā Rohe* agreements between councils and local iwi will be scrapped as part of its sweeping resource management reforms. But is their replacement any better?

Although the Government had originally intended to carry these agreements into the new planning system, it reversed course after a rapid surge in new agreements and sustained opposition from critics.

A GRIFT

Far North district councillor, Davina Smolders, has described cultural impact reports and co-governance agreements as a “grift” (a swindle, scam, or confidence game). The comments were made in an interview with Heather du Plessis-Allen on Newstalk ZB when she alleged the council was about to sign agreements with five iwi that included sovereignty clauses.

This follows the signing of a “Relationship Protocol” with Ngapuhi in August last year that recognises their status as “the sovereign people of Aotearoa/New Zealand” and acknowledges the 1985 Declaration of Independence, and includes open-ended payments to Ngapuhi.

FAR NORTH COUNCILLOR TAKES AIM AT CO-GOVERNANCE

 A political dispute in the Far North has drawn national attention after councillor Davina Smolders publicly challenged her council’s approach to Māori representation.

At the centre of the controversy is a decision by the Far North District Council on 13 April to appoint 10 external hapū and iwi leaders to its Te Kuaka Committee for Māori Strategic Relationships. These 10 unelected members will sit alongside six elected councillors (four of whom were elected in Māori wards). The unelected members can participate fully in discussions and have full voting rights.

Nine councillors voted in favour of the motion to appoint external, non-elected representatives, with only Cr Smolders voting against it and one abstention.