Manukau Harbour Forum

In November 2020, I was elected as the Chair of the Manukau Harbour Forum –  a collective comprised of representatives of the nine Auckland local boards on the shores of the Manukau Harbour.

The current membership of the forum is:

• Wāitakere Ranges – LB Chair Saffron Toms                                         
• Whau – LB Chair Kaye Thomas                                                          
• Puketāpapa – [MHF Chair] LB Deputy Chair Jon Turner          
• Maungakiekie-Tāmaki – LB Chair Maria Meredith                        
• Ōtara-Papatoetoe – LB Deputy Chair Dawn Trenberth                       
• Māngere-Ōtāhuhu – LB Chair Lemauga Lydia Sosene                
• Manurewa – Member Rangi McLean                                              
• Papakura – Member Sue Smurthwaite                                             
• Franklin – [MHF Deputy Chair] Member Alan Cole                   

The nine Local Boards created the forum in 2010 in response to concern about the deteriorating state of the Manukau Harbour and the urgent need for a collaborative response to improve its condition. The forum is funded solely by the Local Boards and has no decision-making powers. Our role is in advocacy, information dissemination, and being a ‘connector’ between communities and the wider Auckland Council body.

The forum strongly supports the settlement of the Wai 8 Manukau Harbour Treaty claim and the need for mana whenua to be leaders in developing a restoration strategy for the Harbour. We also recognise the excellent work done by community groups in improving the water quality and surrounding environment of the Harbour, with special mention going to the Manukau Harbour Restoration Society.

The forum’s vision is:

The Manukau Harbour is recognised and valued as a significant cultural, ecological, social and economic taonga.

A programme of integrated harbour management will ensure that it has a rich and diverse marine and terrestrial environment that is able to be enjoyed by all.

The forum’s objectives are to:

• raise the profile of the Manukau Harbour
• ensure there is a robust knowledge base to support integrated management
• champion and advocate for the development and implementation of planning frameworks and projects to support the integrated management of the Manukau Harbour
• ensure there are sufficient resources, including staff input and budget, to support the forum to deliver on its vision.

The graphic below highlights some of the achievements of the Forum in the past decade.

The forum has a ‘homepage’ hosted on the Council website which you can view here. That page has: * The forum’s Terms of Reference * Videos on past activities * Information about how often we meet. You can also look at past minutes of the business meetings of the Forum by selecting “Manukau Harbour Forum” at the Council’s Minutes and Agendas portal.