First published by the Canterbury Mayoral Forum:

On Friday 5 February the Canterbury Mayoral Forum held a hui with the Chairs of Canterbury’s 10 Papatipu Rūnanga at Selwyn District Council.

The meeting was a historic one, as it was the first time the Canterbury Mayoral Forum and Papatipu Rūnanga leaders have come together in this way. While many individual councils and mana whenua have enduring and solid relationships already, the two Canterbury wide leadership groups have not met and engaged as a collective until now.

The purpose of the hui was to start building a more formal relationship and focused on getting to know each other and understanding the roles that each other play in their communities. Mayors and Chairs shared information about their backgrounds, leadership roles, their council or takiwā areas, and their priorities for the future of Canterbury and its people.

Chair of the Mayoral Forum, Mayor Sam Broughton, said the hui has given the group a strong foundation to build on, ‘Having the Chairs of the Papatipu Rūnanga and Mayoral Forum members in one room established a great platform from which we can work together for the greater wellbeing of our people and land’.

Liz Brown, Chair of Te Taumutu Rūnanga said it was a very positive and constructive meeting: “This lays the beginnings of the foundation for a Tiriti o Waitangi based partnership where we can participate at the conceptual design stage rather than after the mahi has commenced."

Mayors and Papatipu Runanga Chairs all agreed the value in fostering the growing relationship and have agreed to meet regularly to continue the dialogue together.

Mayor Broughton said, "I felt a strong sense of commitment to work in partnership towards shared goals by capitalising on our diverse talents, knowledge and passion. While we might be able to go fast separately, we can go much further together."