Waikato Raupatu Trustee Company Ltd
Waikato-Tainui restructure
Te Kauhanganui, the Waikato-Tainui parliament, has voted to strengthen the management and corporate governance
structures of the Waikato-Tainui tribal arm to ensure it is able to meet the social and tribal needs of iwi members for
the next half century.
Yesterday, the Kauhanganui overwhelmingly passed a resolution that the current structure set up in 1995 would not meet
the needs of the tribe into the future.
Board Chairman, Tukoroirangi Morgan, says it is time for the tribe to move to the next level.
Thirteen years after the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu lands settlement the Kauhanganui felt it was timely and necessary to
refine its tribal structure to ensure stronger alignment with its commercial arm. Tainui Group Holdings undertook a
major restructuring in 2002 to improve its commercial infrastructure to ensure it delivered demonstrable successes each
year.
Tukoroirangi Morgan says although the commercial and non-commercial arms of the tribe remain as separate tribal entities
there are certainly things that we can learn from TGH’s restructuring and subsequent success and apply to the wider
tribe.
“We have superb corporate governance and management experience within TGH that we will call on as part of this wider
project,” he says.
Mr Morgan says the face of the tribe is changing and evolving and the needs of the people are too.
“We need to be able to put in place now structures which will be delivering for the people in 50 years time.”
“The structure set up at the time of the Raupatu land settlement (1995) was appropriate to take us through the first
decade or so.
“But we have some major new challenges ahead of us like the imminent settlement of the Waikato River in partnership with
the crown,” Mr Morgan says.
Mr Morgan says the river settlement will drastically change the way the tribe carries out its business in future because
the responsibilities of co-management of the river in partnership with the crown means Waikato-Tainui will need greater
synergy between all its tribal entities to achieve this.
He says the Waikato-Tainui Parliament which represents more than fifty thousand beneficiaries will now have a greater
say in tribal affairs, will also be the mandated tribal authority for the Waikato River claim and other outstanding
claims including the West Coast Harbours. Te Kauhanganui is also the sole shareholder of the tribe’s commercial arm,
Tainui Group Holdings.
Tukoroirangi Morgan says Te Kauhanganui’s overwhelming vote to restructure and realign their tribal entities endorses a
positive future for the tribe. While it is important to never forget the legacy of the past we must ensure we can
embrace the rapidly changing landscape of tomorrow.
ENDS