​Progress is slow on treaty audit for Auckland Council

Auckland council has not completed any of the recommendations in the latest te tiriti o waitangi audits prompting concerns.

The audit, which is commissioned by the Independent Māori Statutory Board (IMSB) every three years, had 13 recommendation in the 2021 report released in August last year.

Additionally, four recommendations remain open from prior audits but two are expected to close in the next six months.

Among the recommendations are a better understanding of engagement with mana whenua, better guidance on how council staff complete Māori impact statements and enhancing Māori staff reporting.
At the Audit and Risk Committee on August 23, members pressed staff on the progress.

Member Bruce Robertson wanted clarity on the IMSB’s position.

“Key issues are still outstanding,” Robertson said before asking if the IMSB was comfortable with the progress.

Senior risk advisor Andre de Wet said that while no items were closed officers felt there was good progress towards closing.

De Wet said council was facing some workforce challenges but IMSB members had indicated the need for “urgency” on the recommendations.

While IMSB chair David Taipari was unable to attend the meeting he left a written memo for the committee saying he did not have any further queries on the report.

Cr Daniel Newman said there were a number of instances where the IMSB had voted against officers' advice because of the lack of mana whenua and mātāwaka engagement, particularly from Auckland Transport.
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An update on councils progress for treaty audit recommendations will come back to the committee next year.