Auckland Council's Independent Maori Statutory Board is proposing the Council budgets almost $300 million for Maori, as part of its Long Term Plan over 10 years.
The money's been requested after a recent joint board and council commissioned report stated funding earmarked for Maori was inadequate and questioned the Council's commitment to Maori.
It's anticipated the $295 million would be spent on a range of activities, including:
- better care of wahi tapu, or sacred sites.
- improving quality of waterways.
- promoting Maori events and tourism.
- working to support the development of Papakainga, or Maori settlements, on ancestral lands.
The chair of the Independent Maori Statutory Board David Taipari says he likens the 10-year Long Term Plan to a wishlist, with the annual plan the document every ratepayer will live by.
