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Council-Maori Engagement

Local Government New Zealand is working on a long term project to help build stronger relationships between councils and Iwi, Hapu and Maori groups to support community wellbeing.

The Local Government Act 2002 (LGA) requires councils to consider and promote the current and future wellbeing of communities.  It also introduced new responsibilities and opportunities for engagement and cooperation between councils and Maori.  While much has been achieved since the Act was introduced, feedback from councils and Maori suggests that more can be done. Many councils have found the provisions regarding Maori input and capacity building challenging and have asked for further support and advice, while Iwi, Hapu and Maori groups have asked for greater support around participation and engagement with local government.   Local Government New Zealand is keen to respond to these requests, providing support and guidance in this area.
 
A reference group, involving a range of participants from councils, Iwi, Hapu and Maori organisations, was established to guide the project. 

What will the project involve?
We will develop a number of resources over time to support engagement from which groups can pick and choose to suit their needs.  These may include:

• Examples of  case studies of good practice engagement that reflect the diverse realities of council-Maori relationships and provide a menu of approaches for communities to consider 
• Other tools, information, and ideas to support councils and Maori with reference to the relevant provisions of the Local Government Act. This could also include  examples of agreements, processes, training or workshop material
• Bringing together relevant information and case studies on the web for easy accessibility

Resources developed to date
We have developed some initial resources to support Councils in their engagement with Maori. 
 
The first is an easy to read factsheet that provides information on the benefits of building good relationships with Maori, statutory responsibilities, and ways of strengthening engagment Factsheet: Council-Maori engagement (2007).
 
The second provides answers and information to address questions frequently asked by Councils about Council-Maori engagement: FAQs on Council-Māori engagement (2007)

The third provides in-depth case study examples of co-management of natural resources by Councils and Maori: Co-Management: Case studies involving local authorities and Māori (2007).
 
These resources supplement earlier publications by LGNZ including:

• Local Authority Engagement with Maori : A survey of current council practices (2004) 
• Local Government Relationships with Maori (2002) - five cases studes
• Liaison and Consultation with Tangata Whenua: A survey of Local Government Practice (1997) 
   

For further information contact
Victoria Owen, Local Government New Zealand on 04 924 1221 or victoria.owen@lgnz.co.nz

 

 

Last updated: May 2009

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