F ** * OFF

"F*** off. Kind regards, Mayor Moko."

That was the response from Far North District Council Mayor Moko Tepania to an invitation from Duncan Garner to appear on his Editor-in-Chief podcast.

The foul-mouthed mayor later apologised for what he described as a "lapse in judgement" and said he "took full responsibility for it. I did not meet the standard expected of me."

COUNCILLOR PAY

 It may come as a surprise to many, but councillors in the Far North District Council (FNDC) are paid more than their counterparts in Whangārei, despite representing a smaller council.

NAMING RIGHTS

The FNDC is seeking support from other councils for a remit to Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) that would give local authorities greater power over official place naming.

According to the council’s 2026 LGNZ remit application, the proposal calls for:

“LGNZ to advocate for legislative changes to devolve decision-making authority for officiating specified geographic place names from the Minister for Land Information to local authorities…”

The request follows a 2025 decision by the Minister for Land Information, Chris Penk, to decline an application by the Kororāreka Marae Society to change the name of Russell to Kororāreka. If these naming powers were devolved to councils, would the FNDC overturn the Minister’s decision?

AHIPARA CONTROVERSY CONTINUES

Our feature story in last month's LETTERBOX was about a decision by the FNDC in 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.

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.

Departure costs Far North ratepayers

A stoush between the Far North District Council and its former Chief Executive, Blair King, has come at a high cost to its ratepayers. LETTERBOX has been provided with a breakdown of all costs incurred by the FNDC. They say:

“The legal costs incurred relating to employment proceedings amounted to $220,115.21. The costs relating to this matter incurred by elected members amounted to $533.88. The Settlement Agreement payment awarded to Mr King was $200,000. The cost of recruitment of the new CEO amounted to $57,426.33.”

Lunar Meetings - Far North District Council

The Far North District Council is scheduling its meetings according to the Moon's cycle. Seriously, they are – it’s true! 

A report appearing in the Radio NZ daily newsletter states: 

“FNDC’s meeting schedule has been transformed so that meetings take place at times in the Moon’s cycle that are appropriate for their purpose. Council meetings used to be six-weekly, on a set day of the week. They’re now four-weekly, in sync with the Moon and within that on differing days of their scheduled week depending on what is most auspicious. Tepania [the Mayor] said diarising council meetings to fit the Moon’s cycles means better-flowing meetings. Tepania recently gained a Master of Education with first class honours. His thesis looked at the use of maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar, in education. Another new feature is the council’s tikanga-based te kuaka/  ea o Māori committee that started in October this year.”