35800 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Local Government

Written Question

Published date: 23 Aug 2026

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	35800 (2026)
Question asked:	10 Aug 2026
Member asking:	Tangi Utikere
Portfolio:	Minister of Local Government
Minister replying:	Hon Simon Watts
Answer received:	18 Aug 2026
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_35800_2026
Document guid:	a319a1c0-d5fc-4e6d-b2b0-9b55f241b7f2

35800 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Local Government: How many iwi, hapū and post-settlement governance entities, if any, were consulted on Head Start proposals before the 9 August 2026 deadline, and what advice, if any, has he received on whether that engagement discharges the Crown's Treaty of Waitangi obligations?

Hon Simon Watts: It is the Crown’s obligation to ensure that any Treaty settlement obligations are maintained through local government reform. Councils that submitted a Head Start proposal would have made their own decisions about consultation requirements, including any consultation with iwi, hapū and post-settlement governance entities they felt appropriate.