New Plymouth councillors have begun fusing their Treaty of Waitangi obligations into long-term planning for the district – in spite of an ACT party councillor saying the move isn’t democratic. A review by Buddle Finlay found New Plymouth District Council should do more to meet its Treaty obligations under the Local Government Act and the Resource Management Act. Despite an overall “very positive” impression, the review found the council could do much more to strengthen relati

Taranaki councils are taking first steps to prepare for the Government’s shake-up of resource management, even before the law changes are passed. On Tuesday Taranaki Regional Council picked two councillors to help set the ground rules for deciding a new region-wide plan and South Taranaki District Council will choose its representatives on Wednesday. The Government says Resource Management Act is too complex and is blocking development. It’s carrying out a massive overhaul wi

An accusation that iwi are deceiving councillors with false history has been rejected as offensive by a New Plymouth committee. Ivan Howe told New Plymouth District Council’s new public engagement committee they needed to learn local history to avoid being hoodwinked by iwi who were “having a lot to say”. “You’ve got the iwi coming in here … and they’re giving you advice – and the councillors they don’t know what the iwi’s talking about,” said Howe. “They’ll tell you what the