Representation

The Korongata Marae Trustees have a commitment to be engaged in our community for and on behalf of the whānau of Korongata Marae. Our Trustees and other individuals are representatives on several community boards as follows:

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Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga

'Taiwhenua' means permanent home, land or district. 'Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga' refers to Māori who whakapapa to, or live in Heretaunga. The Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi rohe is made up of six Taiwhenua that are governed by their elected Marae/ Hapū representatives.

 

Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga is the Taiwhenua for the Hastings district. Korongata Marae is one of 16 Marae in the district affiliated to Heretaunga Taiwhenua.  Heretaunga Taiwhenua hold marae elections for representation on their Te Haaro Board. In 2018 Christine Tamati was elected as the Korongata Marae representative on Te Haaro and does us proud and we have a great relationship. Click here to link to the Taiwhenua website.

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Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated

Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated, with the mandate to represent the people of Ngāti Kahungunu, is the Governing body for all aspects of Iwi development.

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Ngāti Kahungunu has the third largest Iwi population, The 2013 NZ Census and Local Government statistics show that 61,626 people or 9.2 percent of the Maori population, belong to Ngāti Kahungunu. A large percentage of  Kahungunu people reside outside the traditional iwi boundaries. Many more, not included in the census count, reside overseas. Geographically, Ngāti Kahungunu has the second largest tribal rohe in the country, from the Wharerata Ranges in the Wairoa District extending to the Rimutaka Range in South Wairarapa. The coastal boundaries are Paritu in the North to Turakirae in the South.

 

Click here to find out more about Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated.

 

Heretaunga Taiwhenua’s representative on the Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated (NKII) Board is Thompson Hokianga. The Chairman of Heretaunga Taiwhenua is Mike Paku. 

 

Hawke’s Bay Prison

The Hawke’s Bay Prison is situated on 138 Mangaroa Road, Bridge Pa Hastings, a one minute drive from Korongata Marae. The prison was established in 1989 and is a minimum to high security male prison. This institution is part of the Korongata Marae/Ngāti Poporo Hapū Community Management Plan whereas HB Prison has a good relationship with the mana whenua. Korongata Marae has entered into a partnership with the Hawke's Bay Prison. This relationship is based on trust and builds on the support required from Korongata Marae as mana whenua. The Trustees who represent Korongata Marae at the Hawke's Bay Regional Council is Traci Tuimaseve and Duayne Davies. 

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Tamatea Pokai Whenua (formerly known as Heretaunga Tamatea Settlement Trust)

He Toa Takitini was the organisation mandated by 22 marae claimant groups and organisations within the Heretaunga-Tamatea Inquiry District to:

• Settle the many claims in the Inquiry District through Direct Negotiations with the Crown;

• Keep all claimant groups and the wider iwi informed; and

• Be a point of contact for all who interests the different claims represent

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Korongata is one of the 23 marae, that have given mandate.

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In 2015 He Toa Takitini settled the claims and we now have a Post Settlement Group handling the current Post Settlement  agreements and keeping our whanau updated. The Post Settlement Governance Entity is Heretaunga Tamatea Settlement Trust.

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Our representative is Laura Kele and in August 2023 she was elected Deputy Chair of the Trust. In 2023 the Trust received nominations of Kaumātua to sit on their Taumata Advisory Group. Alayna Watene is the Korongata representative on that advisory group. 

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For more information about the Trust click here to link to their website. The change of name from Heretaunga Tamatea Settlement Trust to Tamatea Pokai Whenu took place in 2023 as part of the Constitutional Changes - which took a few years to progress due to COVID-19 and the many hui held to share this information. 

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Hastings District Council

The Hastings District Council is committed to serving its communities. Hastings District Council aspires to a kaitiakitanga conducted in good faith at all times with respect to the aspirations and expectations of Māori. Just as Te Haaro o Te Kahu, is the kaitiaki for Heretaunga flying above and around the region, to monitor, guide and protect us: so too does the Hastings District Council take seriously its responsibility to Māori, including tangata whenua, so that whānau develop joyously and positively to contribute to and be connected with the community as a whole.

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The Council has committed to take responsibility for any process deemed necessary to fulfil the objectives of the local authority in a way that accounts for the ability of Māori to participate in planning in a mutually appropriate way. This may be addressed by due consideration of best practice, and how Māori capacity may be enhanced to meet an agreed standard for the duration of the Plan.

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In October 2005 the HDC:Māori Joint Committee was established with six Māori and six Councillor members. It has the same status as other Council Committees with respect to decision making opportunities. The Joint Committee is an effective vehicle to address and progress strategic benefits for Council and Māori and, thereby, the community as a whole.

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The Joint Committee has participated in Council workshops on the Plan, and from that process the following initiatives were identified to be progressed through the implementation of the Plan, thus far:

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• Develop Māori Tourism initiatives as part of the Hastings District Tourism strategy.

• Progress housing and health initiatives with other stakeholders, for example, Housing New Zealand and in relation to the Hawke's Bay District Health Board's Healthy Population Plan.

• Enhance infrastructure for Marae with respect to any review of the quantum and allocation criteria of the Marae Maintenance Fund, to ensure an appropriate alignment to the Plan's priorities.

• Consider a cadetship scheme for Maori in collaboration with tertiary institutes, and public sector agencies.

• Assess opportunities for positive collaboration with regional key stakeholders to enhance resources related to infrastructure and increase Maori capacity in their specific communities: papakainga, and marae settlements, for example.

• Issues for Maori youth are to be taken into consideration where initiatives may be identified to increase the ability for rangatahi to positively develop and connect with the community.

• Marama Laurenson was the former Strategic Advisor Culture & Heritage and finished working for the council in Sep 2017. The Māori Cultural Advisor is now in a shared role between Charles Ropitini from Waipatu and Houngarea Marae and Dr James Graham from Pukehou Marae. 

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Te Runanganui o Heretaunga - (Hapū Management Plans)

Traci Tuimaseve is the Korongata Marae representative on this group. The group focuses on environmental issues and has a specific interest in the water - drinking water, healthy waterways and rivers etc. Heretaunga Taiwhenua has a strong advocacy role for the marae of Heretaunga and they work hard to work with and sometimes against our local and regional councils to ensure we gain or maintain our resource rights.  

 

Hastings Golf Club

Alayna Watene is the representing Trustee on the Hastings Golf Club Development Committee. Her role is to build on the relationship as a representative of the residents of the Bridge Pa community and she ensures that any decisions made with regard to the development of the Hastings Golf Course do not have a negative impact on the community. 

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