Monday, July 13, 2009

Ngai Tahu Elections

Have you received much information on the Ngai Tahu elections? Me neither, and i am a bit worried about it. I did receive one communication regarding one Papatipu Runaka but after investigation it was found that a mistake had been made and we were connected to a tiipuna incorrectly. Thats okay, all fixed, but deadly silence from everyone else.

Which tiipuna offers you the chance to have a say in your Iwi? You may find that the list kept by the Runaka you thought you whakapapa'd to doesn't have you on the list. You may find the Tiipuna is not considered as whakapapa'ng to that Papatipu Runaka.

I hope we achieve fair and just representation. That means making sure that all eligible voters have the ability and knowledge to vote for the committee member that will represent their interests, when selecting the candidate for the runaka.

We need to divest some of the decision making to the people. That's going to be hard with over a quarter of registered Ngai Tahu Gone No Address. The big problem is connection and engagement. Why would someone tell you their new address? Because they are engaged and connected - this is where we need to get to.

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