My Account
Kaipara District Council Mayor Craig Jepson’s decision to discontinue the use of a Māori karakia to open and close meetings was akin to the council flogging off “a precious family gift”, a community member told councillors last Wednesday.
“And I do believe that no matter which culture you’re from, that’s pretty rude,” Caren Davis told the meeting in Mangawhai.
Jepson stoked controversy last November by banning the karakia, a tradition for the previous 25 years, arguing that meetings should be secular and multicultural. The move prompted a hikoi through Dargaville and a petition calling for his resignation.
The council subsequently voted to allow elected members, in rotation, to offer a short reflection – but before the formal start of the meeting.
Davis began her presentation by offering a karakia, accompanied by her nine-year-old daughter, Huia.
“Karakia is one of our taonga, a treasure,” she told the meeting. “When we use karakia in various spaces, we are reviving our reo – our language, that holds the key to our wellbeing, our identity, our sense of place, our histories, insights into the environment.
“This is all on offer to you, too – through karakia. It was given to this council as a taonga. Saying no to it is like giving away a precious family gift on TradeMe.”
Davis said karakia were increasingly being used across the country, and “Kaipara has been placed behind the times by this council”.
After the presentation she was thanked, though no councillor commented and the meeting continued with its agenda.
“The Mayor offered question time, but pretty quickly closed it before any questions were asked,” Davis said afterwards. “However I feel my presentation was clear enough that it did not warrant any questions.”
Invited to comment on the points raised, Mayor Jepson provided a brief statement saying that “the presentations and petitions section is the part in council meetings where the public have an opportunity to speak to council at the beginning of a meeting, and I respect that.”
“Council made an agreement as to pre-meeting karakia or statement of choice at the end of last year,” he said. “We also conducted a vote which was a democratic decision of council establishing our current meeting arrangements.”
