​Auckland needs unique kaupapa on emergency management, IMSB says

A new Emergency Management Bill will elevate Māori but an Independent Māori Statutory Board member says Tāmaki Makaurau needs a unique approach.

As a part of the bill, government will establish Māori Emergency Management Advisory Group to work alongside the National Emergency Management Agency.

At the Civil Defence and Emergency Management Committee on September 1, Principal Recovery advisor Wayne Brown said the group would have “rule making authority”.

“There would be reimbursement for iwi and Māori in work they undertake during an emergency, similar to other organisations,” Brown said.

“We are thinking very much now about the submissions process to the bill. We see there will need to be significant engagement with iwi and Māori.”

Tāmaki Makaurau is home to the largest population of Māori in New Zealand with council formally recognising 19 iwi authorities in the region; something Independent Māori Statutory Board member Glenn Wilcox says needs consideration when it comes to policy.

“I think it is important we drive our plan, rather than a plan driven nationally… Our kaupapa will be different,” Wilcox said.

“It is important we do not get sucked into a kaupapa that does not suit Auckland’s needs…We need our plans to suit that particular uniqueness.”

This is the second time in recent weeks that national policy has failed to tackle issues of diversity for mana whenua and mātāwaka.

At a Governing Body meeting in August, council staff presented on the Local Government Electoral Legislation Bill and said it was seeking to incentivise Māori wards in councils but failed to acknowledge how a single ward may represent different views amongst Māori.