Kaipara District Council is back at square one as the council does another U-turn on using karakia in meetings.
A notice of motion agreeing to open and close every full council meeting in karakia was lost by a vote in the council meeting held on Wednesday.
The motion was led by Otamatea Ward councillor Mark Vincent and was supported by Pera Paniora, new Māori Ward councillor for Kaipara District. The moment happened just hours after several Northland iwi leaders were invited into the council's building following their hīkoi in protest and while hundreds stood outside in protest against new Kaipara District Mayor Craig Jepson's attitude towards karakia at council meetings.
"I'm hoping by our next full meeting in February karakia can be recited immediately prior to the meeting and if Councillors want to feel included they can then have an opening statement on a rotational basis during the meeting. That would be an excellent compromise allowing for all to feel included while acknowledging the importance of karakia for Māori," Paniora said.
Dame Rangimārie Naida Glavish was one of many iwi leaders who wanted to meet face-to-face with Jepson and to give councillors a petition with nearly 7000 signatures calling for his resignation.
"Mai i tēnei rā tonu me heke mai ia i tēnā tūranga," said Dame Rangimārie Naida, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua co-chair.
"From this day on, we want him to step down."
The call for his resignation as well as an apology is what they want due to an incident that happened two weeks ago at the council's first meeting when Jepson shut down efforts by new Paniora to say a karakia at the council's first full meeting, as per tikanga or Māori customs.
It's a custom the council has honoured for the past two terms but has now retracted not once but now twice in just two weeks.
Stated in the agenda were Vincent's concerns which read: "I am concerned about the negative publicity which has been swirling around the council since our last meeting, but this will die down in time. I am more concerned about what will remain: damage to the council's reputation, damage to our relationship with key stakeholders whose support would otherwise have helped us in our future dealings with central Government and who might otherwise have invested in our future, not to mention the agreements which we have already signed with them.
"My notice of motion is a way of respecting and acknowledging diverse viewpoints, resolving this matter and enabling our council to focus more on the host of other issues confronting it," Vincent wrote.
On Thursday, Mayor Jepson responded to Newshub in a statement and said: "I acknowledge the peaceful protest today and the depth of feeling within the presenters.
"Our elected members have agreed that each Councillor will have the opportunity on a rotating basis immediately prior to the opening of the ordinary council meeting to recite karakia, make statements of choice and forms of reflection.
"Yesterday Councillor Ash Nayer said a karakia, which I welcomed."
Newshub asked the Mayor for an interview but he declined.
