INDEPENDENT MAORI STATUTORY BOARD FOR AUCKLAND

MEDIA RELEASE

Tuesday 1 March 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Independent Maori Statutory Board has today filed its Statement of Claim with the High Court in Auckland to resolve its funding issue with the Auckland Council.

The Chairman of the Board, David Taipari, reconfirmed both that the litigation was about seeking "clarification not confrontation" and that the Board's policy continued to be that it would operate responsibly, constructively and with the utmost good faith towards the Council.

He said the litigation - which, on legal advice, will take the form of a judicial review - was intended to resolve the funding issue as soon as possible so that the Board and Council could begin working together as outlined in the Local Government (Auckland Council) Amendment Act 2010. Personal relations among the Board, the Mayor, councillors and council officers remain strong and constructive, he said.

Mr Taipari said the Board was seeking from the High Court:

* a declaration that the budget that was approved by the Council's Strategy and Finance Committee on Tuesday 8 February represents the reasonable costs for the Board to meet its statutory obligations;

* a ruling that the Council's decisions on 14 February to unilaterally alter the budget and refuse to reimburse any non-members of the Board who become members of Council committees were unlawful;

* orders that the Council must provide interim funding to the Board to allow it to carry out its statutory obligations, and enter into urgent good faith negotiations to conclude a funding agreement by agreeing to the budget as approved by the Strategy and Finance Committee; and

* costs.

The Board is being represented by barrister Paul Dale.

"The advice we have received is that if both the Council and the Board work through the litigation process responsibly and constructively, we should be able to have it wrapped up very quickly," he concluded.

ENDS

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