Te mahi kātahi me te mana whenua
E tohua nei e te DCC tana ū titikaha ki Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti), ā, ka ū titikaha hoki ki te tū kātahi ki te taha o te mana whenua.
He tukaka pakari ā mātou kia whai wāhi ai te mana whenua ki kā whakatau o te kaunihera, ā, ki te ārahi i te aroka me te whakawhanaketaka o te tāone nei.
I kā tau ko hori, ko eke atu te DCC ki ētahi taumata tāpua i tō mātou pātuitaka Tiriti. He mea tauawhi, he mea whakapakari ā mātau mahi i taua honoka. I whakatūria kia rua kā tūraka rūnaka i kā kōmiti o te Kaunihera i te tau 2021, ā, i hainatia tahitia hoki te Manatū Whakaaetaka i te tau 2022 ki te marae o Ōtākou, ki kā mākai o Te Rūnaka o Ōtākou, o Kāti Huirapa ki Puketeraki me mātau hoki o te DCC. He whakahoutaka tēnei o tētahi atu hereka pirihoka o mua, ka whakatakoto i te aka o te pātuitaka, me te whāika o te mahi kātahitaka kia taurite ai te mana, kia ora pai ai hoki kā whānau. Nā te whakaaetaka i whakatū ai Te Pae Māori hai rūnaka mana ki te mana, kia whakakokea ai te rautaki o te honoka i waeka i kā rūnaka me te DCC.
Ka emi tahi Te Pae Māori kā taumata mana uruki o te DCC, kā rūnaka, me te mātāwaka (kā iwi Māori, kāore he pāka Kāi Tahu) kia kōrero tōtika ai, kia hora ai te māramataka, kia wānaka ai hoki i kā take rautaki.
Mā tēnei rūnaka ka mahi kātahi ki te whakakōkiri i ā mātou tūmanako tahi mō kā iwi o Ōtepoti inamata, anamata anō hoki. Puta noa i ā mātau hōtaka mahi rautaki, ā mātau hōtaka mahi whakahaere hoki, ka taunaki, ā, ka whakarite i kā ara e whakatinana ai te tino rakatirataka.
Ko tētahi o kā aroka matua o Te Pae Māori ko te whakawhanaketaka, te whakatinanataka me te arotakeka o Te Taki Haruru, te Aka Rautaki Māori o te Kaunihera i whakaaetia i te Hepetema o 2023.
Ka whakaū a Taki Haruru i kā mātāpono me kā uara o te mana whenua e ārahi ai te wāhi o te DCC ki te oraka toutaka o te iwi Māori puta noa i te tāone. Ka matapaehia he āpōpō mō Ōtepoti e whakaūhia te oraka o kā uri whakatipu me te toitūtaka o te taiao mai i te tirohaka Māori.
Ko te whakatinana i te aka he mahi whai take ki te hōtaka mahi o te DCC haere tou ana te roaka o te iwa tau o te mahere, ā muri atu nei hoki. Ko kā pātuitaka mahi kātahi ki te Māori he mea mātuatua kia whai waewae ai te kaupapa, e āhei ai i a mātau te whakatairaka i kā uara me kā kōrero tuku iho o kā tākata Māori. Ko Tū Kotahi, ko Tū Ake, ā, ko Tū Hono kā pou e toru ko hoahoa kia whakapakari i te āheitaka ahurea o te DCC. Mā ēnei e waihaka ai tētahi tūāpapa whakamārama i te kōrero tāhūhū o tēnei rohe e noho ana tō Te Tiriti horopaki ki te taha o te kāwana ā-rohe.
Ahakoa ko te aroka tuatahi o te whakatinanataka o Taki Haruru te whakapakari o te āheitaka ō-roto o te DCC, mā taua mahi e āhei ana te DCC tana ū titikaha Te Tiriti e tutuki, te honoka ki te mana whenua e whakarākei, ā, kā hua nui ka whakawhiwhia ki te katoa o te hapori e poipoi. Hai tauira, ko te hōtaka, Te Anamata o Ōtepoti ki te Toka ka mahi kātahi ki te mana whenua, ā, ko tuia kā mātāpono me kā uara o Taki Haruru ki te tūāpapa me te aropāka o te hōtaka. Ko te tuituika o kā kōrero me te whakahoahoa o te mana whenua ki kā hinoka tūāhaka whakahirahira, pēnei i te whakahoutaka o Te Tiriti o Hōri, he mea whakahōhonu, he mea whakapūioio i te oraka me te honoka ā-wairua o te noho o te hapori.
Working with mana whenua
The DCC acknowledges its commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi (the Treaty) by working in partnership with mana whenua.
We have robust mechanisms for mana whenua to contribute to decision-making and help shape the city’s direction and development.
Over the last few years, the DCC has marked some significant milestones in its commitment to the Treaty partnership. The work we are doing as an organisation embraces and strengthens this bond. Two rūnaka positions were established on Council committees in 2021, and the Manatu Whakaaetaka Relationship Agreement was signed in 2022 at Ōtākou marae with representatives from Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki and the DCC. Revising an earlier memorandum of understanding, the agreement outlines a relationship framework and the intent to work collaboratively to achieve equity and ensure whānau thrive. The agreement established Te Pae Māori as the new mana to mana forum for advancing the strategic relationship between kā rūnaka and the DCC.
Te Pae Māori brings together the governance levels of the DCC, kā rūnaka and mātāwaka (non-Kāi Tahu Māori) so they can talk directly, build understanding and discuss strategic issues. Through this forum, we work together to advance our shared aspirations for the people of Ōtepoti Dunedin, now and for future generations. Across our strategic and operational work programmes, we support and facilitate opportunities for tino rakatirataka to be exercised.
A core focus for Te Pae Māori is the development, implementation and monitoring of Te Taki Haruru, the Council’s Māori Strategic Framework, adopted in September 2023. Te Taki Haruru establishes mana whenua principles and values that will guide the DCC’s contribution to Māori wellbeing across the city. It envisions a future for Ōtepoti Dunedin that ensures the wellbeing of future generations and the sustainability of the environment from a te ao Māori perspective.
Implementing the framework will be an important part of the DCC’s work through the lifespan of this 9 year plan and beyond. Collaborative partnerships with Māori are key to putting the strategy into action, enabling us to promote the values and stories of tākata Māori through our work.
Tū Kotahi, Tū Ake and Tū Hono are the three pou (pillars) designed to develop the DCC’s cultural capability. These build a foundation of understanding local history and the Treaty in the context of local government.
While our initial focus in implementing Te Taki Haruru is to build internal capability, this work will enable the DCC to meet its commitment to the Treaty, enhancing our partnership with mana whenua, and foster outcomes that benefit the entire community. As an example, the South Dunedin Future programme works in partnership with mana whenua, and the principles and values of Taki Haruru are integrated into the programme’s design and approach. The embedding of mana whenua narratives and design in key infrastructure projects, such as the redevelopment of George Street, enriches the city and strengthens wellbeing and a sense of place.