National Award for Ground-Breaking Agreement
A ground-breaking agreement for managing an historic reserve has resulted in a prestigious national award for Ngati Tawhirikura hapk and New Plymouth District Council.
The Rewa Rewa Agreement, which was signed in June 2007, this week won the Crown-Mori Relationships category of the 2008 IPANZ GEN-I Public Sector Excellence Awards (formerly the Bearing Point Innovation Awards.)
Says Mayor Peter Tennent: “When we signed this management agreement we knew we were showing the country a new way for mana whenua and local government to work together for the interests of the wider community.
“I’m very proud that the work put into developing this relationship between the council and Ngati Tawhirikura has been recognised by the Institute of Public Administration New Zealand.”
The Rewa Rewa Agreement formalises the joint management of the 26ha Rewa Rewa Reserve in Waiwhakaiho by the council and Ngati Tawirikura. The land was owned by the Ministry of Defence until being declared surplus in 1999, and bought by NPDC in June 2005.
Under the agreement, Ngati Tawhirikura is able to plan developments for the cultural benefit of the hapu as well as the wider community; while the council can use a coastal strip for the extension north of New Plymouth’s Coastal Walkway with the remainder of the land being managed as a public reserve.
The Coastal Walkway extension was given the go-ahead earlier this month, with the council and Transit New Zealand announcing a $3.1 million project to bridge the Waiwhakaiho River and construct about 4km of walkway alongside Rewa Rewa Reserve to Bell Block.
NPDC Iwi Relationships Coordinator Aroha Chamberlain says it is a huge achievement for the council to be recognised for “leading the charge” in Crown-Mori relations by creating a culture of innovation within the public sector.
“The award acknowledges the visionary leadership not only within the council but also within the hapk, and that this leadership has achieved such great results,” she says.
“The awards are also important for recognising and sharing best-practice, which may result in benefits for other local government and mana whenua groups.”
In August last year NPDC received a commendation in the 2007 New Zealand Post Management Excellence Awards for the Rewa Rewa agreement.