Poor Knights sovereignty

In the early hours of 30 October 2025, members of   Ngatiwai landed on the Poor Knights Islands, erected a flagpole, and cemented in a carved wooden post. Ngatiwai chairman Aperahama Kepeti-Edwards said it was “a deliberate assertion of our rangatiratanga and enduring ancestral connection” and “a direct challenge to Crown sovereignty.”

The Poor Knights are managed by the Department of Conservation under the Marine Reserves Act 1971 and Reserves Act 1977, which strictly prohibit landing without a permit. The islands are the sole breeding ground for Buller’s shearwater — a migratory seabird long harvested by Ngatiwai before protection laws were enacted.

Northpower election

 

The tri-annual Northpower Trust Board election is typically a yawn, but this election has raised an important issue about how the Trust’s income is to be distributed.

For many years, the trust has paid a dividend to consumers in the form of a credit on their power bill. We understand some candidates want to change that and instead distribute the funds to what they consider to be worthy community causes.

The candidate statements in the Election Handbook don’t shed any light on this issue, but there are some very familiar faces on the ballot paper with a track record of reckless spending. Voters should look beyond the air-brushed smiling faces and think about the damage that can be done by those wanting to get their sticky fingers on other people's money to advance their pet social causes.

Voting can be done by post or online and closes at 12 noon, Saturday, 29 November. 

Northland expressway

According to an investment case prepared by the NZ Transport Agency, the new Northland Expressway will cut more than 30 minutes off the drive time between Te Hana and Whangārei and reduce deaths and serious injuries on State Highway 1 by 66%. The cost of the project is estimated to be between $15.3 billion and $18.3 billion.

The connection linking Whangarei to the existing northern motorway is being treated as three projects. Construction of the Warkworth to Te Hana section is expected to commence in late 2026 and continue through to early 2030.

Maori wards referendum results

Both sides of the Maori wards debate are claiming victory following the referendum results. Twenty-four of the forty-two councils that held referenda voted to remove their Maori wards, including the Whangarei District Council and the Northland Regional Council. Eighteen, including the Far North District Council, voted to retain.

The effect is that the WDC and NRC will disestablish their Maori wards at the end of the current three-year term.

John Bain from Democracy Northland said he was pleased that the public had finally had their say on the Maori wards issue.

“The results vindicate the stance we took five years ago when we presented our petitions to the councils. It is a travesty that councillors ignored a petition with more than 15,000 signatures and introduced Maori wards without any regard for public opinion. They should hang their heads in shame and reflect on what it means to be a representative.”