Mahurangi Matters, 19 February 2024 – Off the Record

Since taking office in late 2022 – after campaigning for election on a platform opposed to elements of co-governance – Kaipara Mayor Craig Jepson has weathered criticism from activists unhappy about his stance on practices such as the opening of council meetings with a Māori karakia and the use of te reo in official documents.

So how did Jepson spend Waitangi Day? At Waitangi, of course. And not in the expected attire. Jepson and partner Jeannette Reid attended the church service at Te Whare Rūnanga dressed in the type of kit Victorian settlers may have worn at the time of the signing of te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Jepson, whose forebears arrived in 1850, spoke favourably of the treaty, saying it “brought us together as one nation, with different cultures, called New Zealand”.

“And that’s what I witnessed at Waitangi,” he said. “After everyone had said their piece and everything was done, I sensed a genuine goodwill towards one another, regardless of differences.”