Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark Delays Decision on Mana Whenua Charter

Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark has decided to delay a decision on a renewed memorandum of understanding between the Southland councils and the Murihiku Papatipu Rūnaka. The move has sparked debate among local officials and mana whenua representatives, who argue that the agreement is a crucial document that should not be postponed.

A Charter with a Long History

Since 1997, a charter has governed the relationship between the four Southland councils and the four Murihiku Papatipu Rūnaka. The document is meant to be reviewed every five years, but this process has only occurred twice before this year—once in 2003 and again in 2015/16. The updated version, which was adopted by Environment Southland last week, has now been delayed by Clark, who believes it should be left to the incoming council to consider.

Clark's Reasoning

Clark, who holds the chair of the council, argued that the new members should have the opportunity to