1 iwi, 2 months, 3 seats
Having one Ngāti Toa iwi member in a Local Council seat is outstanding, imagine having three! We catch up with our three Ngāti Toa iwi members to see how Council life is treating them and whether it has met their expectations!
Hikitia Ropata - Greater Wellington Regional Council Seat
It has been two months since Hikitia Ropata was elected to the Greater Wellington Regional Council and 5 months since the rush of emotions started.
But being in the Council wasn’t originally on the plate for Hikitia. She was approached by a number of whānau and members of the community encouraging her to run.
Hikitia reports having lots of involvement with her local community - but never at a political level. Her initial reaction was to say “no”, largely because she knew it would mean a huge commitment and life is pretty busy these days.
She said, “Especially when you have a full-time job and you’re the elected Chairperson of the Ātiawa Toa Hauora Partnership Board and want to be the best Aunty and Nanny Hiki to your nieces, nephews and mokopuna!”
But the thought of supporting the iwi to build a better Tiriti partnership with Greater Wellington changed her perspective on the council position, plus advocating for better public transport and climate change was a big pull factor.
Fast forward from there and she has now been in the council for 2 months and it wasn’t at all how she expected.
Hikitia was not used to how “politics at the table play out", but she learnt pretty quickly how to “hold her own”, “know your stuff” and be prepared to discuss, debate, negotiate as well as "win and lose" a few things. It has also meant a lot of reading, learning and a deeper understanding of the community that she represents.
Her day to day struggle is all about fitting in her Council responsibilities amongst her other duties. But she is proud to say she is in the process of making a number of changes so that she can fulfill all her responsibilities and pay her mortgage at the same time. It's a lot of work to take on, but she said it's worth it.
With her whānau support, manaaki and aroha - Hikitia is well equipped and ready for the next few years to come. Any pātai or queries can be directed to Hikitia directly: hikitiaropata30@gmail.com
Nīkau Wi Neera - Wellington City Council Māori Ward Seat
When Nīkau Wi Neera first ventured into his new role at Wellington City Council his goals were to establish tikanga and to return land, water and assets to
Māori - two months in and he has not lost sight of his vision or his people.
He recalls it being a huge step putting himself out there, but he was up for the challenge. He also knew that it ultimately meant that he was representing his iwi but he was confident that his tupuna were by his side every step of the way.
Early on in the voting he got wind that he was down by 30 votes, he was not surprised at all considering his competition. So, he booked himself a 2 week get away to distract himself. He later found out he was winning by 5 votes and a whirlwind of emotions hit him. “The week of waiting for special votes was like torture,” Nikau said, “I was a mess, just an absolute mess.”
But all the hard work has paid off and he made it in as the first Māori Ward seat for Wellington City Council, making his own mark in history.
Nikau’s day is consistently inconsistent, which has meant he needs to be flexible. From Tuesday – Thursday he has meetings galore, Monday and Fridays are typically community days.
Early days have been filled with induction, introductions and a whole bunch of hui. His first real project will kick off in the New Year and he plans to keep us updated as he goes.
He is a strong advocate for Māori and will advocate any way he can, he also
adds, “if you ever need a voice, I’ll be there to tautoko and help to get your message out there” please contact him directly: Nikau.WiNeera@wcc.govt.nz
Kathleen Filo - Onepoto General Ward Seat for Porirua City Council
The council life is not a foreign thing for Kathleen Filo, well not when your mum is Liz Kelly. But following in her mums’ footsteps was not something she had planned out.
Kathleen’s centre of gravity always flowed where the energy felt right. Kathleen said, “I always try to follow my gut instinct and intuition – so while my head was giving me all inner dialogue and the reasons why I shouldn’t run I decided to go with my gut.”
And here her story begins. Up late at night rehearsing speeches, going over strategies, and door knocking. All with the support of her Mum. But having your mum as the previous Deputy Mayor of Porirua did not calm the nerves. Kathleen said “It was a crash course in campaigning, so it felt pretty intense, exciting and stressful.”
She said, “There are a lot of unknowns, so having feelings of uncertainty at times was not unfamiliar. The highs were high, and the lows were low.” But these feelings did not waiver her determination.
She is grateful for the support se received from iwi member, the Whānau Centre and of course her mum. All helping her to get to where she is now - at the table.
Going into the council there was zero expectations but her day to day has been similar to many others, filled with inductions, and hui and as things start to swing into motion she becomes busier and busier by the minute.
She is ready and well equipped for whatever is thrown her way, pushing kaupapa that ground and inspire her, with her people right beside her.
Kathleen can be contacted by email: Kathleen.Filo@poriruacity.govt.nz