A Western Bay of Plenty councillor's comments about the council's relationship with Māori have been labelled "mischievous" by a senior staff member.
Councillor Margaret Murray-Benge raised her concerns about the word 'prioritise' in the council’s 12 page, long-term plan preparation document during the Annual Plan and Long Term Plan Committee Meeting on Tuesday.
The draft Strategic Assumptions for the 2024-2034 Long Term Plan document helps with preparing the Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s 10 year plan.
The assumption stated: "Council seeks to prioritise and build upon the key relationship with Māori which is important to deliver on council's strategic direction and Long Term Plan."
Murray-Benge said: "It's true we do work closely with Māori and that's important, but partnership with Māori will continue to increase [in] importance.
"I just say it cannot go over our commitment to the wider community, it can't prioritise over anybody else because the Treaty [of Waitangi] when you read it doesn’t say that."
"To move into so called partnership just doesn't add up because it's not in the treaty and I just think that we are being quietly misled and I’m just sending a signal that I think this quite wrong," she said.
Committee chairperson and deputy mayor John Scrimgeour interjected and said: "You’re entitled to your view but we do have a responsibility to work with all groups and tangata whenua is one of them."
Murray-Benge replied: "I didn’t say that sir, it's giving priority to one particular section is not right because we do have a responsibility to everybody."
General manager strategy and community Rachael Davie responded to Murray-Benge's remarks: "Your comments are mischievous."
“The reference within the strategic assumptions doesn't purport to put relationships with tangata whenua ahead of relationships with community at large or any other stakeholder group it is simply recognising our statutory obligations and the status of the Treaty," said Davie.
Murray-Benge "I'm not trying to be mischievous, I'm trying to highlight the fact that I'm uncomfortable with where we seem to be heading."
The councillor has previously raised her concerns about Māori representation on councils.
In 2021, she organised a meeting to oppose the introduction of Māori wards in Tauranga for the city council elections and "stimulate debate" about the issue.
In a council meeting about Three Waters reform last year, she said the water services were "being transferred over to these huge entities that are tribal dominated and it's just so undemocratic".
During Tuesday's meeting, councillor Anne Henry said she was "all for equity" and gave the definition of prioritise.
"Something given special attention to, the highest or the higher importance rank and privilege," she said.
"I'm not disagreeing with the sentiments in there [the assumption] but could we use another word instead of prioritise please?"
Mayor James Denyer said he had suggested different wording during the long-term plan workshop.
"Changing that from 'council seeks to prioritise and build upon the key relationships' to 'council seeks to consciously build on the key relationships with Māori'.
"I just wonder if that would be a more appropriate way to highlight the fact that we do want to work closely with Māori, but without any connotation of putting above the community," he said.
Murray-Benge said that was a "good idea".
The councillors agreed to change the wording and adopted the strategic assumptions.
By Alisha Evans of Local Democracy Reporting
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
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