Post by Kiwi Frontline on Sept 1, 2016 20:30:54 GMT 12
Dear Interested Party,
We are a community group working to promote and protect democratic values. We have been prompted to write to you after learning of a plan to introduce a co-governance arrangement with more statutory authority for the Hauraki Gulf Forum. The proposed scheme would drastically reduce government, council and local board participation, and significantly increase the influence that iwi groups would have over the Gulf and its catchment areas.
The Hauraki Gulf Forum (the Forum) is a statutory body that promotes and facilitates integrated management and the protection and enhancement of the Hauraki Gulf, under the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act 2000. Since 2000, the Gulf has been managed by the Forum with Auckland Council as its administering authority. Currently the board includes 12 representatives of all the region’s councils, 3 Ministry officials, plus 6 iwi representatives appointed by the Minister of Conservation.
A review of the Forum released June 2015 by Dr Nigel Bradly concluded that the current governance model for the Hauraki Gulf Forum is not effective. A further report was commissioned by the Forum to provide recommendations on how to address the governance issues identified in the Bradly report. This report, the ‘Hauraki Gulf Forum Governance review and recommendations’, was received by the Forum at their June 20 meeting.
The review includes the recommendation that the Forum is changed to a co-governance model comprising equal numbers of iwi representatives and other members:
Recommendation (e)
“That the Forum membership is made up as follows:
· 8 members appointed by mana whenua;
· 5 members appointed by the Minister of Conservation (for example political, business or NGO leaders rather than Crown representatives); and
· 3 members appointed by local authorities (1 from each of the Auckland Council, Waikato Regional Council and the territorial authorities collectively) – these may or may not be elected members;”
You will notice that there is very little in the way of democratically elected representation in this model. Not only would half the members have no obligation to act in the public interest, but it also includes the distinct possibility that the wider community of Auckland, the Waikato and the Coromandel could well have no democratically elected representation on the Forum at all!
Yet, together with the co-governance proposal is the recommendation that that the Forum be given more statutory authority and power:
Recommendation (h)
“that any reform of the governance arrangements for the Forum should include provision for the Forum to have more statutory authority and a stronger and more direct role in terms of statutory decision-making over the Hauraki Gulf.”
Rather than being roundly rejected by the Forum members, incredibly these recommendations received enough support to progress to the next stage. A resolution was passed at the 20 June Forum meeting that constituent parties respond to the recommendations from the ‘Hauraki Gulf Forum - Governance review and recommendations’ report at the next meeting of the Hauraki Gulf Forum, following consultation with their respective bodies. This meeting is due to be held on September 12th.
If you share our concerns about the recommendations of the Forum governance review we urge you to contact not only the Forum members, but also all other elected representatives on the region’s councils and constituent local boards. It is important to let them know what you think.
See here for Forum member contact details: > sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/hauraki-gulf-hijack
Please consider passing on this information to your friends, family, associates, and other contacts.Other than an article in the Gulf News late June, the Hauraki Gulf Forum governance review has received no media coverage. The general public are most likely to be unaware of the significant changes being promoted.
Yours sincerely,
Lee Short
Chairman
Democracy Action
democracyaction.org.nz
We are a community group working to promote and protect democratic values. We have been prompted to write to you after learning of a plan to introduce a co-governance arrangement with more statutory authority for the Hauraki Gulf Forum. The proposed scheme would drastically reduce government, council and local board participation, and significantly increase the influence that iwi groups would have over the Gulf and its catchment areas.
The Hauraki Gulf Forum (the Forum) is a statutory body that promotes and facilitates integrated management and the protection and enhancement of the Hauraki Gulf, under the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act 2000. Since 2000, the Gulf has been managed by the Forum with Auckland Council as its administering authority. Currently the board includes 12 representatives of all the region’s councils, 3 Ministry officials, plus 6 iwi representatives appointed by the Minister of Conservation.
A review of the Forum released June 2015 by Dr Nigel Bradly concluded that the current governance model for the Hauraki Gulf Forum is not effective. A further report was commissioned by the Forum to provide recommendations on how to address the governance issues identified in the Bradly report. This report, the ‘Hauraki Gulf Forum Governance review and recommendations’, was received by the Forum at their June 20 meeting.
The review includes the recommendation that the Forum is changed to a co-governance model comprising equal numbers of iwi representatives and other members:
Recommendation (e)
“That the Forum membership is made up as follows:
· 8 members appointed by mana whenua;
· 5 members appointed by the Minister of Conservation (for example political, business or NGO leaders rather than Crown representatives); and
· 3 members appointed by local authorities (1 from each of the Auckland Council, Waikato Regional Council and the territorial authorities collectively) – these may or may not be elected members;”
You will notice that there is very little in the way of democratically elected representation in this model. Not only would half the members have no obligation to act in the public interest, but it also includes the distinct possibility that the wider community of Auckland, the Waikato and the Coromandel could well have no democratically elected representation on the Forum at all!
Yet, together with the co-governance proposal is the recommendation that that the Forum be given more statutory authority and power:
Recommendation (h)
“that any reform of the governance arrangements for the Forum should include provision for the Forum to have more statutory authority and a stronger and more direct role in terms of statutory decision-making over the Hauraki Gulf.”
Rather than being roundly rejected by the Forum members, incredibly these recommendations received enough support to progress to the next stage. A resolution was passed at the 20 June Forum meeting that constituent parties respond to the recommendations from the ‘Hauraki Gulf Forum - Governance review and recommendations’ report at the next meeting of the Hauraki Gulf Forum, following consultation with their respective bodies. This meeting is due to be held on September 12th.
If you share our concerns about the recommendations of the Forum governance review we urge you to contact not only the Forum members, but also all other elected representatives on the region’s councils and constituent local boards. It is important to let them know what you think.
See here for Forum member contact details: > sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/hauraki-gulf-hijack
Please consider passing on this information to your friends, family, associates, and other contacts.Other than an article in the Gulf News late June, the Hauraki Gulf Forum governance review has received no media coverage. The general public are most likely to be unaware of the significant changes being promoted.
Yours sincerely,
Lee Short
Chairman
Democracy Action
democracyaction.org.nz