The Coalition Government talks about refocusing councils on their core responsibilities. Yet it—like governments before it—has actively encouraged “partnership” arrangements between local government and tribes. While Wellington pretends to stand back, councils across New Zealand are committing constitutional fraud.
Without any mandate from voters, councils are overthrowing democracy by institutionalising tribal control. Unelected and unaccountable iwi entities and individuals are being granted powers over council decision-making, ratepayer funds, public assets, natural resources, and even private property rights.
This is happening behind closed doors, hidden in jargon and Māori phrases, obscured by legal structures the average ratepayer has no hope of deciphering. Many elected representatives are sidelined. The legacy media looks the other way, preferring celebrity gossip over exposing creeping tribal rule.
CASE STUDY: SECRET RUAPEHU COUNCIL –NGĀTI HĀUA DEAL
There are three levels of government doing deals with iwi in the Manawatū–Whanganui area:
1. The Crown’s Treaty Settlement with Ngāti Hāua
The Ngāti Hāua Deed of Settlement (Te Pua o Te Riri Kore) was initialled in November 2024, signed on 29 March 2025, and legislated in June 2025.
The deal includes:
Even before the Crown Treaty settlement, Horizons Regional Council signed a “Memorandum of Partnership” with Ngāti Hāua in October 2024. The document pledged the council to give effect to the undefined “principles” of the Treaty. Horizons chair Rachel Keedwell went as far as describing the council as “a Crown party” – which it most certainly is not.
By May 2025, Horizons had signed seven partnership agreements with iwi and hapū groups, with more in the pipeline. Out of 30 iwi, 110 hapū, and 60 marae in the region, the council appears intent on embedding iwi co-rule across the board.
3. And one of many - Ruapehu District Council’s Confidential Agreement with Ngāti Hāua Iwi Trust
In February 2025, Ruapehu District Council secretly signed a “partnership agreement” with Ngāti Hāua Iwi Trust (NHIT)—months before the Crown settlement was legislated. The iwi apparently demanded confidentiality. After some pushback, it was softened to allow disclosure only under strict conditions, with recipients seemingly obliged to sign non-disclosure agreements.
When challenged under the Local Government Official Information Act (LGOIMA), the council justified the secrecy on grounds of “sensitivity,” “wāhi tapu,” and “respect for iwi.” Yet the Ngāti Hāua Crown Settlement itself contains no wāhi tapu properties, so why is the Council now allowing the creation of some – or is this a ruse to deny public access to public land?
The secrecy seemingly protects councillors complicit in handing iwi rights over land, water, and mining ahead of elections or RMA reforms.
1. Why the secrecy over Ngāti Hāua and Ruapehu District Council’s Agreement? Are they -
The Treaty of Waitangi was between the Crown and chiefs who ceded sovereignty. It did not establish any “partnership.” By 1852, with the Constitution Act, New Zealand became a representative democracy. Councils didn’t even exist in 1840, and they have no Treaty obligations.
Yet successive governments—especially under National’s Chris Finlayson—shifted Treaty settlement obligations onto local councils. Many councils now willingly or submissively exceed even those obligations, granting iwi unelected/unaccountable appointments to boards, co-governance, veto powers, control of staff, funding, and privileged access to land and resources.
The result? Ratepayers and the public are stripped of their democratic rights. Expenses are through the roof! Decisions over ratepayers’ money, services and property are being made by unelected tribal bodies who cannot be voted out or held accountable in any way.
COUNCILS UNDERMINING OUR DEMOCRACY
The confidential Ruapehu–Ngāti Hāua deal is a textbook case. It may be just one of many being snuck through before the October 2025 local body elections.
Councils were never meant to be Treaty negotiators or agents of tribal rule. Yet they are signing away the rights of every ratepayer—without consultation, without transparency, and without accountability. Councils MUST serve all ratepayers equally, not act as brokers for iwi deals cooked up in secret. They have no constitutional or legal basis to bind residents to tribal control.
This is not about being nice and cultural respect. It is about power, assets, and control—quietly transferred behind closed doors, with the media asleep and government complicit.
The public must demand transparency, the names of councillors responsible, and the full release of confidential agreements. Otherwise, co-governance will be embedded permanently before anyone gets a chance to vote on it.
References
1. Ngāti Hāua Deed of Settlement – PDF
2. Ngāti Hāua Treaty Settlement – Whakatau NZ
3. Ngāti Hāua Claims Settlement Bill – NZ Parliament
4. Horizons Regional Council – Te Tiriti o Waitangi Review Report, 2025
5. Ngāti Hāua & Ruapehu District Council Partnership Deal – NZ Herald/Whanganui Chronicle
6. NZCPR – The State of Local Government
7. Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 No 174 (as of 01 July 2025), Public Act – New Zealand Legislation
Acknowledgement: Much of the initial research and information for this article was supplied by Democracy Action’s Susan Short and Nikki Hudson.
Fiona Mackenzie is a businesswoman who has combined self-employment with voluntary work and is a firm believer in the safeguards that true democracy provides.
This is happening behind closed doors, hidden in jargon and Māori phrases, obscured by legal structures the average ratepayer has no hope of deciphering. Many elected representatives are sidelined. The legacy media looks the other way, preferring celebrity gossip over exposing creeping tribal rule.
CASE STUDY: SECRET RUAPEHU COUNCIL –NGĀTI HĀUA DEAL
There are three levels of government doing deals with iwi in the Manawatū–Whanganui area:
1. The Crown’s Treaty Settlement with Ngāti Hāua
The Ngāti Hāua Deed of Settlement (Te Pua o Te Riri Kore) was initialled in November 2024, signed on 29 March 2025, and legislated in June 2025.
The deal includes:
- $19 million in financial redress.
- A $6 million “cultural revitalisation fund.”
- Return of 64 culturally significant sites.
- Rights to purchase or gain first refusal over Crown properties.
- Mining rights in riverbeds.
- Co-management frameworks over DOC land.
- Collection rights for cultural materials.
- Crown apology, “revised” history, and ancestor pardons.
- Read the settlement: Ngāti Hāua Deed of Settlement PDF
Even before the Crown Treaty settlement, Horizons Regional Council signed a “Memorandum of Partnership” with Ngāti Hāua in October 2024. The document pledged the council to give effect to the undefined “principles” of the Treaty. Horizons chair Rachel Keedwell went as far as describing the council as “a Crown party” – which it most certainly is not.
By May 2025, Horizons had signed seven partnership agreements with iwi and hapū groups, with more in the pipeline. Out of 30 iwi, 110 hapū, and 60 marae in the region, the council appears intent on embedding iwi co-rule across the board.
3. And one of many - Ruapehu District Council’s Confidential Agreement with Ngāti Hāua Iwi Trust
In February 2025, Ruapehu District Council secretly signed a “partnership agreement” with Ngāti Hāua Iwi Trust (NHIT)—months before the Crown settlement was legislated. The iwi apparently demanded confidentiality. After some pushback, it was softened to allow disclosure only under strict conditions, with recipients seemingly obliged to sign non-disclosure agreements.
When challenged under the Local Government Official Information Act (LGOIMA), the council justified the secrecy on grounds of “sensitivity,” “wāhi tapu,” and “respect for iwi.” Yet the Ngāti Hāua Crown Settlement itself contains no wāhi tapu properties, so why is the Council now allowing the creation of some – or is this a ruse to deny public access to public land?
The secrecy seemingly protects councillors complicit in handing iwi rights over land, water, and mining ahead of elections or RMA reforms.
- Media coverage: Whanganui Chronicle – Historic Partnership Deal
1. Why the secrecy over Ngāti Hāua and Ruapehu District Council’s Agreement? Are they -
- Concealing the scale of land transfers, mining rights, and water governance?
- Getting a leap on other iwi?
- Shielding councillors who signed away ratepayer assets?
- Pre-empting government reforms to the RMA?
- Avoiding public outrage over the cost to ratepayers?
- Why is there any wāhi tapu included and where is the affected land?
- What are the costs to ratepayers and impacts on the public from transferring public land titles to iwi (i.e. schools, clubs, DOC reserves, river margins, bush on Mt Ruapehu)?
- As third parties may include DOC or Council-Controlled Organisations, will iwi gain control over water services and conservation land?
- Which councillors pushed the iwi agenda? Their names must be made public.
The Treaty of Waitangi was between the Crown and chiefs who ceded sovereignty. It did not establish any “partnership.” By 1852, with the Constitution Act, New Zealand became a representative democracy. Councils didn’t even exist in 1840, and they have no Treaty obligations.
Yet successive governments—especially under National’s Chris Finlayson—shifted Treaty settlement obligations onto local councils. Many councils now willingly or submissively exceed even those obligations, granting iwi unelected/unaccountable appointments to boards, co-governance, veto powers, control of staff, funding, and privileged access to land and resources.
The result? Ratepayers and the public are stripped of their democratic rights. Expenses are through the roof! Decisions over ratepayers’ money, services and property are being made by unelected tribal bodies who cannot be voted out or held accountable in any way.
COUNCILS UNDERMINING OUR DEMOCRACY
The confidential Ruapehu–Ngāti Hāua deal is a textbook case. It may be just one of many being snuck through before the October 2025 local body elections.
Councils were never meant to be Treaty negotiators or agents of tribal rule. Yet they are signing away the rights of every ratepayer—without consultation, without transparency, and without accountability. Councils MUST serve all ratepayers equally, not act as brokers for iwi deals cooked up in secret. They have no constitutional or legal basis to bind residents to tribal control.
This is not about being nice and cultural respect. It is about power, assets, and control—quietly transferred behind closed doors, with the media asleep and government complicit.
The public must demand transparency, the names of councillors responsible, and the full release of confidential agreements. Otherwise, co-governance will be embedded permanently before anyone gets a chance to vote on it.
References
1. Ngāti Hāua Deed of Settlement – PDF
2. Ngāti Hāua Treaty Settlement – Whakatau NZ
3. Ngāti Hāua Claims Settlement Bill – NZ Parliament
4. Horizons Regional Council – Te Tiriti o Waitangi Review Report, 2025
5. Ngāti Hāua & Ruapehu District Council Partnership Deal – NZ Herald/Whanganui Chronicle
6. NZCPR – The State of Local Government
7. Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 No 174 (as of 01 July 2025), Public Act – New Zealand Legislation
Acknowledgement: Much of the initial research and information for this article was supplied by Democracy Action’s Susan Short and Nikki Hudson.
Fiona Mackenzie is a businesswoman who has combined self-employment with voluntary work and is a firm believer in the safeguards that true democracy provides.
28 comments:
Luxon - stand up and explain !
This is not democracy !
This is going on during your watch as PM, and you can not be ignorant of it .
Therefore you are complicit in the implementation of this switch from a democracy to an ethnocracy - without the consent of the voters.
You have become as evil as Ardern !
At the end of your term are you going to disappear offshore, too scared to show your face again in NZ?
React - do something, say something !
“The Coalition (Corporate) Government talks about refocusing (corporate) councils on their core responsibilities”, that of handing over ratepayers bought and paid for assets to corporate Iwi, in line and at pace with government’s role of handing over taxpayers bought and paid for assets to corporate Iwi. It’s like a well-oiled corporate agenda.
Well said Fiona Mackenzie! I have no doubt whatsoever that this is happening behind closed doors all over NZ. Councils are effectively stealing ratepayer owned assets from under us with no mandate to engage in such activities. It is corruption writ large and our coalition govt isn’t lifting a finger to stop it. In fact, I feel as though National and Potaka must actually be supporting it. Increasing numbers of us can see it, but god only knows what we can do to stop it. It is a huge betrayal of NZ voters and ratepayers.
As ex- Minister Mahuta said: Install Co Gov via the local govt route. Happening in front of your eyes.
If our coalition does not step in and stop this immediately, we will know precisely the trajectory of this Country (as if most of us did not already know). The first comment above is correct, PM Luxon has to be complicit with all of this as it was he and no-one else (except maybe under the influence of Potaka) who placed the Hon Simon Watts as Minister of Local Government, just as it seemed the Hon Simeon Brown was about to drop the hammer on Local Government shenanigans. Was this a deliberate reassignment to leave the door open for co-governance to continue its insidious march into our lives? Health needed a good sort out but substituting Brown with Watts has not done us any favours on the other important front in this war of blatant apartheid.
This is outrageous, and even the Crown settlement is nothing short of a rort. At every turn we're being sold down the river to a lazy, ungrateful pack of grifters. NZ is truly stuffed, unless we set up an alternative Tribunal examining breaches of the Treaty by Maori. It can start by examining the cost of their failure to be law-abiding, productive citizens since 1840. They'll need all of their $130billion economy to pay for that one alone, and that's before we even start to look at the killing, maiming and harm they've done up to this day, and including even what they've done to their own - given it's wider society that invariably picks up the pieces and bears the cost. Then there's all the other special assistance and support they've been given, again because they have failed to live up to their responsibilities as citizens.
But given that will never happen, we're stuffed, and it'll soon be everyone for themselves. Welcome to New Zimbabwe.
What legal right did Horizons (and the departing Chair Rachel Keedwell) have to sign away regional ratepayers assets? Do ratepayers have any recourse except expensive legal challenges? No wonder Ms Keedwell is not standing for re-election in October. She realized she was going to be outed and didn't want to face the consequences of her actions
Referendum now - uphold democracy, halt ethnocracy.
The rapidly deteriorating situation could not be clearer to ordinary NZers. What further proof is needed?
Why is Luxon preventing a referendum?
Luxon must be aware of the sorts of deals going on behind closed doors, as will NZ First. David Seymour has given his all to sort out Treaty Principles and the only way I can see to show discontent and the imperative to keep Crown land and assets in the hands of all NZ’ers is to vote ACT. Yes, we would still end up with a Coalition Government, but at least National would be a minority. Otherwise I can see another Labour, Greens and Te Pati Māori circus.
I have totally lost faith in this treacherous govt. They are no different than the imbeciles they replaced. Is this insidious tribal creep too complicated for these buffoons to recognise? I notice that the billboards promoting local council candidates carry no reference to their divisive skullduggery.
Fiona, well researched. Thank you. The upcoming Council elections will be a revelation. Yes, I can see Lucksun disappearing overseas as soon as he can to mix with the WEF lot. Ardern with no hair....
This is OUTRAGEOUS !! As a Horizons ratepayer, I am appalled.
Get to work, Luxon and stop this !!!
its funny to imagine on one side of town all these outraged people lobbying and debating as if they will be eaten by the savage tribes of Aotearoa. Meanwhile the other side of town the majority of people feel life is enriched and better for our bi-cultural identity. Easy to spot, its the ones being kind to each other, laughing, learning, paying taxes and even celebrating the success of Maori across all fields. Its not that side causing separatism but I guess you don't want to see that.
History certainly shows cannibalism was rife not that long ago, and the 'outraged people' brought that to stop. Then there is the mistaken view that this country is 'bi-cultural'; what a laugh. It is multicultural and all the better for that with the civilizing influence of peoples from all around the planet, acting as a counter to attempts to bring back the Stone-age and its primitive ideas and 'culture'. Finally, the 'success of maori across all fields' is entirely due to the money illegally obtained through the lies told at Waitangi Tribunal hearings and the efforts of 'useful idiots' in the non-maori camp who are traitors to their own culture and beliefs.
Clearly this is theft by Councils.
Surely the Courts are going to cancel it ?
Luxon, how do you think NZ can recover from your inaction on all these race issues ?
How do you dismantle these apartheid policies ?
Why do you refuse to even comment on these issues ?
Didn't your parents teach you that running away from a problem doesn't fix it ?
Stop running.
It has to happen now !
Mandatory.... Your name says it all. A Bully and simply can't see the bullying... and tribal greed. Woke as.... and blind....
I think that is why luxon would not allow david seymour's treaty bill referendum to go ahead. Was it already too late? Maybe they didn't want a mass walkout of New Zealanders, which could occur if people knew that he pua pua was a foregone conclusion. They are doing it gradually, hoping that people won't be aware. They saw how gullible many kiwis were during covid.
Surprised to see mining rights in riverbeds. Does this iwi have to comply with RMA etc? Mind you, they are not going to object to their own activities as they do to others; and isn't a river in Maori mythology a person? Maori don't want the seabed touched as it is harming Tangaroa / mauri / tikanga whatever, yet they want rights to dig into their awa tipuna?
What mandatory really means;
Easy to spot, it’s the ones being kind to each other (at the refurbished marae), laughing (at the pakeha), learning (more Marxist tactics), paying taxes (at the chosen ones rate) and even celebrating the success of (part) Maori across all fields (of grifting and rewriting history). It’s not that (He paupau) side causing separatism but I guess you don't want to see that
And still are gullible. The FEAR continues as in Covid rule....
But, but... what about Taylor? Swift.
https://dailytelegraph.co.nz/news/full-blown-clown-at-the-helm-luxon-invites-taylor-swift-to-nz-following-engagement-announcement/
It has become a tribal takeover in Wanganui with hardly a murmur and the same by clipon reps with voting power in New P lymouth. Irreversible I think as there would be escalating violence from the well organised hardliners part-Maori and white. Occupations and disruptions at first then damage to sites deemed anti-Maori and then physical. An occupation of parliament , disruption of transport and playing out to sympathetic media here and abroad. BBC Guardian, etc.
Exactly. Look over here and not over there tactic.
She would make comments of support for ''indigenous'' rights, have a swipe at Trump and find it all beautiful while tearfully backing Kamala Harris, Trannies are women, etc etc, all lapped up by her adoring fans
Truly evil people who were elected to these Councils.
Refusing to allow the public to know what evil deeds they were doing behind closed doors - despicable !
What are their motives ?
Obviously not the best interests of the people that elected them.
Or are these Councils like Tauranga, where Mayor Drysdale has put paid unelected Maori with full voting rights on his team ?
Or are there stand over tactics by the Maori to have their gangs threaten Councilors and families ?
There has to be a reason why these Councils tip over into illegal, immoral actions.
Just makes my blood boil!!!!!!!
Come on Luxon, Seymour and Winston. Get on with fixing this as you promised. DO SOMETHING
Horowhenua Council's discriminatory practices: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8tnFm2JC2U
Re Mandatory @10:17am - "Separatism"
It is those 'supremacist maori' who in their complete lack of ethical individualism are unable to transcend tribal mentality who are the "DIVIDERS" of our society.
Tribal consciousness even divides those of the same race into warring tribes / clans / factions.
New Zealanders who believe in racial equality and one rule for all have simply been cast by regressives as the enemy 'tribe'
Tribalism REQUIRES AN ENEMY, and wont rest until it finds or invents one.
Credit: Colin R
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