Rotorua city was established through the leadership of Ngati Whakaue and Te Arawa, reflected in the 1886 Rotorua Townships (Fenton) Agreement. Mana whenua continue to be important contributors to our community as tangata whenua to the district, with hundreds of years of history, whakapapa and matauranga. Today, Maori make up more than 40% of our district population and they hold significant resources as owners, managers and kaitiaki for land, water and natural resources. Maori are users of Council services, and they are resource developers, business owners, residents and rate payers.
In 2017, Rotorua Lakes Council entered into the Te Arawa Partnership Agreement. Council also has several other formal relationship agreements with mana whenua, some of which are reflected in Treaty settlement legislation. We have made these commitments because we recognise that building robust and enduring relationships with mana whenua helps make Council decision-making more effective and sustainable, and it contributes to good outcomes for Council, for the community and for Te Arawa.
Over time, we have taken solid steps to build our internal capability and we are working hard to grow good relationships with mana whenua. We wish to appoint an experienced leader to drive our performance as a partner, recognising that this is a long-term commitment for Council and requires ongoing leadership and innovative thinking.
This role Reporting to the Chief Executive, and a critical member of the Executive Team (Exec), the Manahautu Te Arawa Partnerships is responsible for ensuring the organisation's performance in upholding the Te Arawa partnership. With a highly motivated and passionate Te Amorangi team, the role works across the whole of Council to drive Te Arawa partnership initiatives and capability.
This leadership role ensures Te Ao Maori perspectives and aspirations are part of what we do, how we partner, engage and communicate with our residents. It ensures staff have the necessary skills, capability and experience to engage effectively with mana whenua communities.
The Manahautu Te Arawa Partnerships role supports good decision-making across the organisation. This includes delivering excellent technical advice, identifying risk and opportunity, as well as jointly making strategic decisions as part of the Executive Team and taking an active role in major operational decisions that impact on mana whenua.
The Manahautu Te Arawa Partnerships ensures that Council builds enduring strategic relationships that deliver great outcomes for mana whenua and the broader community. This includes developing Council's strategy to support the Te Arawa Vision 2050, as well as leading a step-change in how Council's service delivery impacts positively on mana whenua communities. It also includes leading the ongoing management of strategic relationships with mana whenua.
Because of the importance of this role, our preference is that this is a full-time commitment. However, we know that the right person may have community leadership responsibilities, so we could be flexible in this regard.
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