Kōrero o te Tiamana
It seems the year is racing past us and already we find ourselves in June. As an Iwi we are busier than ever, as we begin to enter an interesting phase of our evolution.
We continue to negotiate towards our comprehensive Treaty Settlement with the Crown, with our Agreement in Principle now expected to come after the General Election, and as part of this we are beginning to look towards the future and what a post-Settlement Ngāti Rangitihi could look like.
There is the possibility that our settlement will include the returning of land that would open a number of opportunities for us to share our stories, showcase our environment, and create career opportunities for our people.
It is now our time to start planning for these outcomes, and for people of our Iwi with strong organisational and governance skills and experience to step forward and identify themselves to us, to take leading roles in the next stage of our journey.
As Len Cook’s population report concluded, our population is estimated at 9,345 people, so we will need to dig deep into our iwi to find these people.
As well as opportunities in land management and tourism, we also have three Trustee roles opening up in our upcoming Trustee Elections. We are looking for people with good governance experience and ability who want to step forward and have an active role in the future of our people. Trustees and people interested in becoming Trustees will also have an opportunity to undertake a free governance training course in late August – Ngā Pae Hihiri – designed to broaden their governance, strategic and economic thinking.
So I encourage all of you to have a think – is this you or someone you know? Together we will move forward into the next phase of our evolution as a strong and empowered iwi.
Leith Comer
Chairman
Te Mana o Ngāti Rangitihi
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