Progress to make Ōpōtiki a bilingual town stalls

Progress on Ōpōtiki becoming a reo rua (bilingual) town has been put on hold in order for mayor and councilors to be brought up to speed about what it involves.

By Neryda McNabb, Local Democracy Reporter

At a meeting of Ōpōtiki District Council on Tuesday, elected members were asked to formalise an agreement in principle between Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board and the council join the Aotearoa Reorua initiative, run by the Department of Internal Affairs.

The programme offers $225,000 in funding over two years for council and iwi to work together to create and implement a plan to create more opportunities for te reo Māori to be seen, heard and celebrated.

However, Mayor David Moore, who was a councilor last term, said he had not been made aware of the programme.

“[This report] states that it was an initiative agreed in principle with the previous council, but that was the previous mayor and the previous chief executive. It wasn’t the rest of us,” he said. “This is the first time I have actually seen this.”

Moore said a delegate from the trust board had intended to speak at the meeting on Tuesday but had been unable to. The trust board instead sent a letter to council setting out some of the changes they wanted to advance. These included upgrading town signs, marae signs, road markings and updating of the three main entrances into the Ōpōtiki area.

Recommendations in a report to council included formally agreeing to be part of the initiative with the trust board and to delegate staff to progress work required. This included preparatory work to apply for the funding, which needed to be done by February. The next council meeting is not until February 7.

Councillor Steve Nelson said it was news to him too.

“I don’t know anything about it. I’m wondering if we should send this to a workshop or at least table in until we can meet with Whakatōhea and feel their aspirations so we can work alongside them.”

Councillor Tom Brooks said he thought the concept was “fantastic” and was happy to give his tentative approval.

“But I would like to know what it actually looks like. I support having a workshop so we can get our heads around it.”

Other councillors were in agreement on this and decided to discuss it further at a workshop on January 24.

The council voted unanimously to formally agree to be part of Aotearoa Reo Rua, in order for the funding application to be made, but did not agree to the staff recommendation to delegate staff to progress work required as a partner of the initiative.