23 Mar 2012

Mayor accepts council falling short with Maori

7:15 pm on 23 March 2012

Auckland mayor Len Brown is acknowledging that the Auckland Council has a lot more work to do to meet its Treaty of Waitangi obligations.

Mr Brown's comments follow the release of an independent audit commissioned by the council's Independent Maori Statutory Board.

The audit, carried out by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, identifies 10 areas where the council is lagging behind in its obligations to Maori.

It says consultation with Maori is inconsistent and often undertaken on a reactive basis due to a lack of understanding about how, when and with whom to engage.

Mr Brown says the council will take some time to reflect on the report and then work with the board and the community to make changes.

But he says he is not disappointed by the findings, as it is the first time the new organisation has undergone such an audit.

He says it's a good start and he expects more audits in the future.