12 November 2019

Maaori representative positions approved as part of new Waikato District Council committee structure

Waikato District Council has included Maangai Maaori (the Voice of Maaori) representatives on its three major Council Committees, as part of a committee structure confirmed for the next three years.

Council confirmed the shape and membership of its committees and sub-committees in the Council Chambers today in Ngaruawahia. The committee structure has been largely carried through from the last three-years. However the inclusion of Maangai Maaori is a significant change for Council.

Mayor Allan Sanson said he was proud of today’s vote noting that the inclusion of the Maaori representatives at the committee level had been a long time coming.

“I look forward to seeing the voice of Maaori strengthened in our Council decision making and engagement. This is a positive thing for our district and organisation. Maangai Maaori has been a long-term goal of our Waikato-Tainui Waikato District Council Joint Management Committee, so it’s pleasing to see us reach this milestone together,” Mayor Allan said.

The next step is for staff to action today’s Council decision and convene an Appointments Panel that will include the Waikato District Mayor, Deputy Mayor, a Waikato-Tainui senior representative and a fourth expert appointed by the Chief Executive. The three Maangai Maaori appointments will be advertised in the new-year and plan to be in place in early 2020.

The Maangi Maaori representatives, who are intended to be experts with strong governance, technical expertise and knowledge of te ao Maaori (Maaori world view) and tikanga (culture) will be included – one representative on each committee – on Council’s three principal committees: Strategy & Finance; Infrastructure; and Policy & Regulatory.

Council today confirmed its overall Committee Structure as well as the appointment of Committee and Subcommittee Chairs.

• The Strategy & Finance Committee will be chaired by Cr Gibb (Deputy Mayor Bech as Deputy).

• The Infrastructure Committee will be chaired by Cr Patterson (Cr Eyre as Deputy).

• The Policy & Regulatory Committee will be chaired by Cr Sedgwick (Cr Smith as Deputy).

• The Discretionary & Funding Committee will be chaired by Cr Lynch (Cr McGuire as Deputy).

• The Audit & Risk Committee will continue to have an external chair, Margaret Devlin (Cr Gibb as Deputy).

A full list of the Committee Structure 2019-222 including all Committees and Subcommittees and their Chairs and Deputies can be found here (Page 7).

ENDS

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