Positive response to virtual AGM

Date Created: November 6, 2020

Tēnā tātou katoa e te iwi,

This year’s Annual General Meeting, which was held in September, was well attended by whānau across the rohe and further afar, which was a great outcome. 

This is especially important, given it was the first time we have held an AGM as an online virtual webinar – a decision that was made to mitigate the risk of Covid-19.

Many whānau were able to participate from the comfort of their homes, community hubs or marae, giving more people the opportunity to understand the mahi underway within our iwi and to contribute whakaaro about how we continue our journey moving forward. 

The commitment we have to Te Awa Tupua was clear, and it was great to receive a number of questions from uri throughout the hui. People were invited to engage with the Trust and we have provided responses to the queries that were raised.

A few questions related to the Annual Report and Supplementary Documents for the hui and how they could be accessed.

These documents were made available online the week prior to the hui and can be found on our website homepage dev.ngatangatatiaki.co.nz. A report for Te Pou Tupua is also available on its website, www.tepoutupua.co.nz.

One of the questions received related to Te Mana o Te Awa and the progress being made there.

Due to the interconnectedness of their purposes, the work conducted under Te Mana o Te Awa will be merged with Te Whawhaki. The transition for this merge will continue into the new year and will include engagement with hapū. Both the Te Mana o Te Awa scholarships and merchandise will continue.

Te Whawhaki is building on the learnings and insights from our people at He Waka Pakoko and further engagements with hapū and tūpuna rohe are supporting the development of a 20 year strategy, Te Rautaki of Te Whawhaki, that will guide future investments into iwi development.

Another question was asked about the upcoming review of the Trust Deed. The Trust will work with Te Rūnanga o Te Awa Tupua to develop the plan and terms of reference for the review in the first half of 2021.

People were also interested in the Trust’s financial progress, noting that the spend on professional services had increased since the previous year. This can be attributed to new costs associated with setting up Te Ngakinga o Whanganui Trust, outsourcing contract management for RMA service delivery and the engagement of an interim General Manager.

There was a request to provide more insight into the Trust’s Revenue for 2020. A pie chart can be found in the Annual Report on Page 18. 

Additionally, here is a further breakdown:

• 34% of revenue was derived from returns by dividends (investments)
• 46% of revenue was received via Grants and Donations from differing sources.
• 5% of revenue was earned from interest from term deposits.
• 5% listed as other income came from various sources including cost recovery from local authorities.
• 3% fisheries income represents the management of fisheries quota.

Another important notice from the AGM is that the term for Te Pou Tupua has been slightly extended, to account for the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This means that the current Pou Tupua will remain in place until mid next year. This is beneficial to us, as it encourages the new Government to play its part to uphold Te Awa Tupua.

Finally, we would not have been able to all participate together the way we did without the support of the regional hubs that opened their doors to us on the day, including Ngāpuwaiwaha Marae in Taumarunui, Te Kura o Te Wainui-ā-rua in Ranana, and Te Pae Tata Community Hub in Ohakune. Tēnā rawa atu koutou katoa mō tō manaakitanga.

Given the positive reception to the online webinar, we are considering offering an online option of engagement again, in addition to any kanohi-ki-te-kanohi AGM in the future.

Should you or your whanau have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Trust on 0800 AWA TUPUA or email us at office@ngatangatatiaki.co.nz

Ngā mihi,
Nga Tangata Tiaki o Whanganui Trust

Ngā manga iti, ngā manga nui e honohono kau ana hei Awa Tupua.