Aoraki Matatu

Aoraki Matatu Ara mai e Ara mai e Whakana atu o karu i te whekite o te puehu i tutu ai Whakatika ki ruka ki te whaikupu, ki te whaipono, ki te whaihua Aukaha kia kaha Aukaha kia kaha Ka kaha o Mahutukiteraki Earlier this year a number of Ngai Tahu individuals, runanga chairs and representatives met at Arowhenua Marae to discuss major issues regarding Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu, which many believe has become unaccountable to the people of Ngai Tahu. Some of the key issues identified and discussed included: • • • • • • •

The erosion of a clear separation between tribal governance and management and commercial governance and management. The increasing tension between the leadership of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Ngāi Tahu Group Holdings. Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu decisions around the use of tribal funds in a difficult economic environment. The failure to implement much needed governance changes recommended in recent governance reviews. An increasing decline in transparency and accountability of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu to Papatipu Runanga and Ngai Tahu whanui (including increased and unnecessary use of the in-committee process) The lack of resourcing for Papatipu Rūnanga/marae development. The continued exclusion of Papatipu Rūnanga from involvement in decision making.

As a result of these discussions each of those present were to return to their own runanga and discuss the issues identified with their people. There were also certain outcomes that the collective wanted to achieve by appealing to and putting pressure upon Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu. These are outlined below: • • • • • •

Absolute adherence to the Kaupapa Poutahu of the charter that states that the assets of Ngäi Tahu will be managed separately from the bodies that spend and distribute the income earned from those assets. Conclusion and implementation of governance review recommendations from 2005. Increased resourcing to Papatipu Rūnanga to allow greater autonomy and ability to effect real change to grass-root hapu/marae members.. The implementation of processes that enhance transparency and accountability between Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu and Papatipu Runanga. A comprehensive independent review of tribal spending and the identification of a prudent financial plan to protect tribal assets and resources as the global recession continues. Reduced tension between members of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, including its chairman, and the chairman of Ngāi Tahu Group Holdings and some of his senior staff.

Since then a number of these issues and others have been raised in the media and some which have been commented on by the collective. Some of the issues raised in recent weeks: • The $52 million House of Tahu was approved by TRoNT (subject to NTHC sign off) without any engagement with Papatipu Runanga or Ngai Tahu Whanui. • TRoNT removed Wally Stone as chairman of NTHC without reason. There was and remains widespread surprise and disappointment at this move. • TRoNT failed to effectively substantiate this decision or to move to calm the market around the predictable concerns the decision raised.. • There have been recent pay increases for the Kaiwhakahaere and Deputy. • Kaikoura Runanga has raised serious issues with their runanga representative around the dismissal of Wally Stone and the process that led to his dismissal. • Kaikoura kaumatua, driven by the attitude of their representative when addressing his Chairman and Executive in email correspondence, have declared that they will no longer support Mark Solomon as the representative for Kaikoura and have called for him to stand down. • TRoNT has been particularly aggressive in their recent response to these issues targeting those who are speaking out. The above issues have been reported by the media because they ARE news, not because they were manufactured by the collective. They are important matters, matters that all tribal members should be aware of . The issues reported on, in almost every instance, were news to a vast majority of tribal members . The issues reported raise serious concerns. However, the debate has not been about the issues. In fact the focus of many TRoNT and senior office personnel has been to lead a process to discredit those who they believe are responsible for the issues being reported providing enough turbulence to allow more private and confidential meetings to occur. TRoNT representatives who support the current regime met secretly on Monday to develop strategy to counter growing tribal concern raised as a result of the numerous media reports of recent weeks. They then requisitioned a short-notice meeting (stating an incorrect clause of the Charter to do so.) Despite this being an unconstitutional meeting eleven of the representatives continued to meet in committee on Thursday evening. At that meeting it was decided that TRoNT would release private emails to the public, although none of the recipients or authors of those emails had given permission for such a release. This is an extension of the smear campaign and is a further attempt to demonise those who raise in public their concerns about the organisation. There also has been no explanation as to how TRoNT came to get copies of these private emails. It is also of note that the emails went on to form the key basis for a story reported by the Christchurch Press hours after the kaiwhakahaere circulated them to iwi members. The campaign run by those tasked with providing sound governance and leadership is an inappropriate response to criticism and confirms a refusal to address the core concerns. The following questions still remain unanswered:

1. Why was Wally Stone removed as chair of NTHC? 2. Why was there no clear process to calm the financial markets around this announcement, when the process to remove Wally Stone had begun at least four months earlier? 3. Why was the House of Tahu approved in principle by TRoNT when the country is in the midst of a recession and the property sector has slumped? 4. What is the Kaiwhakahaere's response to requests from respected Kaikoura kaumatua to stand down? 5. Why did the kaiwhakahaere engage in an openly hostile and contemptuous email exchange with his Kaikoura executive around questions of Wally Stones removal. "That's alright taina. You resist. Let's see what happens. You are an incompetent fool who rushed to defend Stone before engaging his brain. Look around fool. How many in the whanau support him? Everyone I have spoken to despises him. You can reap the dividend. Know this taina." In recent statements the Kaiwhakahaere has suggested that the appropriate place for such issues to be raised is upon the marae, and that doing so in the media is poor tikanga. Over the past few years none of the important issues mentioned above and others, such as the newfound power of veto over fishing quota access for Ngai Tahu's seafood company, have been taken to the marae by the Kaiwhakahaere or the representatives. They have instead chosen to discuss these important matters in committee, where Ngai Tahu Whanui are excluded. This emergence from secrecy to discuss anything important has been introduced as a means of further decrying those who choose to speak out - not to put the big issues in front of the people. The response of most members of Ngai Tahu to concerns raised in the media has been a call to hui and disappointment that these issues have not been discussed in the open. We regret if there are members of Ngai Tahu Whanui who have found the manner in which this debate has unfolded difficult but we do not resile from the concerns raised and deficiencies exposed. For some Papatipu Runanga there have not been democratic elections for more than 10 years; there have been seven chairs of Ngai Tahu Holdings Corporation in the past decade; there have been three comprehensive governance reviews of the TRoNT structure over the past 10 years and the recommendations have not been followed or implemented; whilst the Office of TRoNT receives approximately $13 million in funding per annum all of the Papatipu Runanga combined receive only $3 million and only $2.7 million is distributed to the people via the Whai Rawa programme; the TRoNT table alone costs the iwi $1.8 million per annum. It is some time since new policy and statements of changes in direction have emerged from within TRoNT's leadership. It appears that this desperate struggle to control information and suppress debate is simply about holding on to power instead of leading the people into the future.

Earlier this week the CEO of TRoNT revealed that "the final stages of the governance review process are underway." Who has been consulted about this review? Is it appropriate that a board which has not been re-mandated in at least six years oversees a review that is the heart of ensuring the mistakes of the past are not continually repeated? Is it appropriate that an office which has continued to grow in influence and in its ability to consume tribal funds should be the key architects of this process? Is it appropriate that this review is being led by a Kaiwhakahaere who has attracted considerable controversy in his 10 years in the job - much concerning his fundamental failure to lead the table or to even chair meetings? The collective have not taken the decision to go public on some very concerning tribal issues lightly. We have done so because change can only occur if someone is prepared to stand up and say enough is enough. We believe it is time for change. We now appeal to other Papatipu Runanga, to all Ngai Tahu Whanui, who share our concerns and want answers, to join us in resolving these issues and setting a clear, safe path for this and future generations. We believe it is time for all the representatives on TRoNT to step down and for elections to be held. It is time for a comprehensive and INDEPENDENT review of tribal governance, management and expenditure. We believe it is time for a new and fresh direction for Ngai Tahu.

Te Ao Hurae Waaka Hana Morgan Francois Tumahai Tahu Potiki Robin Wybrow Netta Mackintosh