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AUGUST 29, 2024
‘We chose Steph’
Ruthana Begbie, Raukawa Trust kisses Stephanie O’Sullivan watched by at left Te Arani Barrett, and Mary O’Sullivan, right.
By Mary Anne Gill
Waipā’s new chief executive was greeted with a powhiri at Karāpiro on Monday, and it was down to business the following day with her first council meeting. Tokoroa born Stephanie O’Sullivan accepted the challenge of a demanding meeting where elected members debated the future of its Māori ward and then had a workshop on the financial strategy of the district’s most demanding Long Term Plan yet. “I feel like I’ve come home, and it was time to come home,” O’Sullivan told The News at her powhiri at a venue looking out towards the Waikato River which
has featured prominently in her personal and working career. More than 250 invited guests heard mayor Susan O’Regan describe the attributes she and other councillors wanted when they began the search to replace long-serving Garry Dyet. “We wanted a chief executive who was a very confident decision maker but has a preference for collaboration. “We chose Steph.” She repeated “We chose Steph” several times as she outlined the other characteristics they sought which included being a servant leader who focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people in the community to which
they belong. “We specifically said narcissists need not apply,” said O’Regan. “That’s because we wanted a leader who can inspire and motivate colleagues who can foster collaboration and empower others.” O’Sullivan - who is fluent in te reo and spoke in Māori for five minutes, carried a photo of her late whānau dad Hori Deane into the powhiri. She was accompanied by family members including her mother Mary, sister Marnie, stepmother Karen and nephew Daniel La-aiva and supporters from Whakatāne where she had been the district’s chief executive since 2018. Missing
Māori ward to remain
Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
was her father Paul who had a turn and was admitted to Waikato Hospital on the morning of the powhiri. “He was so gutted. He was so looking forward to being here today.” O’Sullivan wore huia earrings given to her by the Whakatane executive because the bird was prominent in the Waipā district before its extinction and was a symbol of the wisdom and connection to the land. She singled out several people for mention including Dyet who had been “an institution” not only for Waipā but for local government.
Continued on page 2
Waipa Māori ward councillor DaleMaree Morgan made an impassioned plea supporting Māori wards ahead of her colleagues’ decision to retain them this week. The decision will spark a binding poll at next year’s local body elections where voters will vote on whether they want to keep Waipā’s solitary Māori ward. It will not impact on the current representation review which recommends reducing the number of general wards by three to seven. Morgan was elected 14 months ago in a by-election and appealed to councillors on “more moral and ethical grounds”. The establishment of Māori wards was a fundamental issue of justice, equity “and our responsibility as elected officials to uphold the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi,” she said “Māori wards provided an opportunity to ensure that Māori, as tangata whenua, have a guaranteed voice in our local governance, reflecting the unique partnership envisioned by Te Tiriti. “As leaders of our community, we must ask ourselves: what kind of a future are we shaping for Waipā? A future where the voices of Māori are sidelined or a future where we stand together in the spirit of partnership and mutual respect?” Holding a poll to determine whether Waipā should retain a Māori ward was a democratic option, “but we all know the risks reducing a matter of justice to a popularity contest”. The decision to support Māori wards should be grounding in our commitment to uphold the rights of Māori as guaranteed under Te Tiriti, not subject to the whims of a majority vote. We have a moral duty to protect these rights, even when it may not be the most convenient or popular path
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