Runanga Projects

Various runanga projects complement the organisation's key strategic and priority areas.

Runanga 2008 Board Elections

The triennial Board of Trustees election process began in late July 2008. Letters were sent out to all registered Ngati Porou with details of the election, its timeline and a request to update personal information.

To take part in elections, you must be of Ngati Porou descent, 18 years of age or older and registered on the Ngati Porou register. See the Ngati Porou register for more information, or contact us at info@ngatiporou.com.

Ngati Porou historic Treaty claim settlement

Ngati Porou has been a committed Treaty partner for the past 168 years, honouring the relationship our tipuna sought to achieve with the Crown asserting their rangatiratanga and acknowledging the Crown's kawanatanga. Ngati Porou have continued to act in accordance with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

In December 2007 the runanga secured a mandate from Ngati Porou to enter into direct negotiations with the Crown to resolve all historic Ngati Porou Treaty claims, and in April 2008 gained approval for this from the Crown. A Treaty negotiations sub-committee was formed to oversee the preparation and negotiation of a settlement package, to be mandated by Ngati Porou. Members of the sub-committee are:

Hapu cluster appointees

Runanga appointees

The runanga appointees are Robert Mcleod, Whaimutu Dewes and Herewini Te Koha.

Foreshore and Seabed – Takutai Moana

The runanga is reaching the final stages of securing Crown recognition of the Ngati Porou mana and kaitiakitanga of Ngati Porou hapu over their takutai moana.

Ngati Porou's position has always been to protect and maintain the takutai moana rights of hapu and have these recognised in lore and law.

Ngati Porou has not backed down from their opposition to the Foreshore and Seabed Act, rather, they have agreed to disagree with the Crown in the interests of moving on.

The signing of a Heads of Agreement with the Crown on 5 February 2008, after four years of hard work, was a significant milestone in negotiations.

Now Territorial Customary Rights areas need to be identified and included in the Deed of Settlement, which will give these rights the highest levels of protection and recognition.The runanga is working with five hapu who have strong cases that affirming their uninterrupted association and jurisdiction over their takutai moana.

A final Deed of Agreement is expected to be submitted for ratification by nga hapu o Ngati Porou in late 2008.

Runanga review and restructure

Nearly 21 years since its establishment, the runanga recognises the need to ensure its structure is responsive to and meets the future needs of Ngati Porou.

The aim is to have a structure that:

• supports and enables Ngati Porou to effectively achieve a diverse and ambitious development agenda
  
• enables smarter and more effective management of Ngati Porou human expertise and knowledge
  
• better meets the needs of a diverse and ambitious development agenda
  
• reflects and supports more overt hapu representation and accountability
  
• satisfies third party requirements such as the Crown's requirements of a Treaty settlement entity.

A working party of four trustees and four Ngati Porou advisers has been assessing options and will release a consultation document on the proposed new structure later in 2008. Consultation will take place nationwide. Watch this space for more information.

Ngati Porou succeeding as Ngati Porou

The runanga is committed to developing pathways that support Ngati Porou people. To this end it has developed a draft Ngati Porou Hapu Success Framework for ratification by Ngati Porou hapu. The framework will help hapu define and express their unique character and aspirations, define and determine their own indicators of economic, social, cultural and political success, assess their current status, and develop pathways for success.

The key performance indicators will be that hapu:

• define and determine their own success indicators and criteria and implementation strategy
  
• confirm the activities and responsibilities they need to pursue to achieve success
  
• inform the runanga about activities and responses that require runanga support.

In turn, the runanga can then inform and influence government policy, particularly the Maori Potential Policy, to ensure this aligns with the success aspirations of Ngati Porou whanau, hapu and iwi.

Ngati Porou hapu customary fisheries

The runanga, as responsible trustee for the Porou Ariki Trust (Mandated Iwi Organisation for the receipt of fisheries settlement assets) is working with whanau and hapu customary rights practitioners to develop a Ngati Porou Hapu Customary Fisheries Framework. This will be used to describe the customary values, principles and practices that guide how Ngati Porou behave and relate to Tangaroa me ana tamariki, their takutai and the moana, particularly in relation to the harvesting, replenishment and collection of kaimoana.

Once whanau and hapu approve the draft, the framework will be sent to all Ngati Porou marae to help them develop or enhance their own customary fisheries plans.

The framework will guide customary fisheries practices and principles and inform customary regulations. It will also support Ngati Porou whanau and hapu as they exercise rangatiratanga and katiakitanga over their kapata kai and rohe moana.