One in five of our residents identify as Māori. There are twelve iwi within our rohe/district. The principle of Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi is one of partnership between the Crown (and its representatives) and Māori. Iwi organisations are maturing and transitioning from survival and grievance to abundance, guarding and protecting to investing and growth.

Depending on what stage an iwi is at in their development, their resources and capacity to contribute meaningfully to on-going demands will differ. There is an increasing expectation for councils to partner with the local iwi of its district, working together to support and promote community wellbeing – environmentally, socially, culturally and economically.

Partnering with local iwi will benefit all of our communities through:

• a greater understanding of one another’s expectations and aspirations.
• increased opportunities to establish shared projects.
• improved processes based on an understanding of one another’s priorities, expectations, and available resources.
• more efficient and effective use of our and Māori resources supporting Māori expectations and aspirations to promote the well-being of Māori and the wider community.

• Knowledge sharing – iwi have extensive knowledge of the history of our district and its environment. By engaging with local iwi at the beginning of projects, and inviting them to share their knowledge, we can design our projects with respect and consideration of the history of the site and its environment. 
• Working together - the purpose of local government is to promote and support community wellbeing - environmental, economic, social and cultural. This aligns with the work of local iwi as well, whose priority is to develop and support its whanau wellbeing. Working together with like-minded people and organisations can have benefits that out perform those achieved when working in silos (individually). By working with iwi, we can reach parts of our community who may not otherwise have engaged with our projects or processes.

• Organisational cultural capability and capacity - as an organisation we recognise that we need to improve this to better support both elected members, iwi and our wider community. We are developing a Learning and Development Framework for all staff to build their understanding of te ao Māori (Māori world view), te reo Māori (Māori language) and tikanga (customs and traditions). We are also including key aspects of te ao Māori and tikanga into our induction programme for the incoming Council. As we continue our journey together, we aim to continuously improve and enhance our cultural capability and capacity as an organisation.
• Iwi capacity – our local iwi have limited resources available, and are required to engage with multiple agencies including central, regional and local government. Traditionally local (and central) government has operated in a Western inspired beraucracy, with strict timeframes and requirement for written submissions. This can at times be a challenge for iwi, as their way of discussion issues and make decisions is largely one of reaching consensus through korero (verbal discussion). This may require several hui to be held, over a longer period of time, which doesn't fit with the way local government operates. By engaging with iwi at the commencement of projects and policy reviews, we can seek their guidance with regards to how they wish to be engaged with and we can build this into our timeframes, ensuring local iwi has an opportunity to have meaningful involvement in the process and decision-making.

• Iwi relationship team
• Te Manawhenua Forum

• What is our role in fostering a positive partnership between the wider community and iwi?
• How can we work together with iwi to achieve improved wellbeing outcomes for all whānau?
• How can we support iwi to enable active participation and contribution in our processes?
• What opportunities are there to partner with local iwi, such as shared projects?