According to Cr Faulkner TCC has been informed by the Office of Treaty Settlements that compulsory co-governance boards on all district/ regional councils are to be set up to 'implement Treaty settlements”, a committee (amazingly called the Tauranga Moana Group) comprising elected councillors and iwi appointed members for the co-governance of government requirements, will be set up, for which a pitiful amount has been set aside for the WBRC to fund.

Cr Faulkner was understandably unable to say under what legislative authority the Government is abrogating its role in Treaty settlements and transferring taxpayers' expenses to ratepayers' expenses.

The Consititution Review Panel is currently taking submissions on exactly this intervention whereby one is allowed to object to entrenching of the Treaty into every Statute. Yet the Government has pre-empted this procedure and setting up a situation the interpretation of which could well presage exactly what NZers are protesting against.

In the context of [Local Government Act 2002] legislation there is provision for Maori to contribute to the decision making process.

In the context of this Government's abrogation of its responsibilities local governments do not have the time or funds or experience to engage in further prolonged Treaty debate nor, under its own legislative duties, should their responsibilities to ratepayers be subjected to multiple time-out on this additional burden.

RE Stephens, Mt Maunganui.