Toitū Te Tiriti

Te Awanui Ward

Tauranga City Council By-Election

Ange Webster

Honouring Te Tiriti, strengthening our future.

Ko wai ahau?

Ko Mauao te maunga

Ko Tauranga te moana

Ko Mataatua te waka

Ko Ngai Te Rangi te iwi

Ko Ngāi Tukairangi me Ngāti He ngā hapū

Ko Hungahungatoroa, me Whareroa, me Maungatapu ōku marae

Ko Te Kani Atamatea tōku tupuna

Ko Ange Webster ahau

My Mission

I am committed to ensuring that Tauranga City Council uphold the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in all its decisions, ensuring that the rights and voices of Māori are integral to our governance.

I will strive to honour the principles of partnership, protection, and participation by fostering meaningful engagement with iwi, hapū, and Māori communities.

Through this commitment, we seek to build a fairer, more inclusive city where all people can thrive, respecting the mana and rangatiratanga of Māori as tangata whenua.

 My Experience

With over 25 years supporting Tangata Whenua, I have the toolset to effectively represent Māori in Te Awanui Ward.

  • Ensure that all council policies, strategies, and decision-making processes explicitly reference Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This helps ensure that its principles are embedded within the council everyday work.

    For instance:

    • Partnership: Actively involve iwi, hapū, and Māori representatives in planning and decision-making processes.

    • Protection: Safeguard Māori cultural, spiritual, and environmental values when making decisions that impact their lands, taonga, or communities.

    • Participation: Ensure Māori are represented in leadership and decision-making forums within the council.

  • Set up regular consultation and engagement processes with iwi, hapū, and Māori community leaders to understand their perspectives and needs.

    This could include:

    • Regular hui (meetings) to discuss key issues.

    • Co-design processes where Māori communities are involved in planning, development, and governance alongside the council.

  • Provide training for all council staff and elected members on the history, significance, and contemporary relevance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This ensures a greater understanding of Māori perspectives and how to uphold Te Tiriti in their roles.

    Training can include:

    • Te Tiriti o Waitangi education for all new council staff and regular updates for long-standing staff.

    • Cultural awareness programs to better understand the diversity and needs of Māori in the region.

  • Ensure Māori voices are meaningfully represented within the council.

    This might include:

    • Advisory groups with iwi or Māori representation that provide input on key decisions.

  • Set up systems to monitor how well the council is upholding Te Tiriti in its decision-making and ensure that actions align with the principles.

    This could be achieved through:

    • Regular reporting on Te Tiriti-related initiatives and outcomes.

    • Feedback loops from iwi and Māori communities to ensure the council actions meet their expectations and are responsive to their needs.

  • Recognise and respect the role of iwi, hapū, and Māori communities as tangata whenua (people of the land) in all decision-making processes. This means prioritising their needs and rights when it comes to matters that directly affect them—such as land use, cultural sites, and environmental protection.

    By following these actions, Tauranga City Council would not only uphold Te Tiriti but also create an inclusive, sustainable, and culturally respectful environment for Māori and all residents.

How my experience will help Te Awanui

    • Te Tiriti Framework for Decision-Making

    • Te Tiriti Review for Existing Policies

    • Iwi and Hapū Consultation

    • Co-Designing Projects with Māori

    • Council-Wide Te Tiriti Training

    • Māori Language and Cultural Awareness

    • Advisory Groups

    • Te Tiriti Reporting Mechanisms

    • Public Feedback and Māori Advocacy

    • Land Acknowledgement

    • Mana Whenua Partnerships

Partnership, Participation and Protection.

Working collaboratively with iwi, hapū, and Māori communities as equal partners in decision-making. Safeguarding Māori interests, culture, and taonga, including land, resources, and practices. Ensuring Māori have equitable opportunities to actively participate in council decision-making and governance.

How to vote in the by-election

  • Enroll

    Click the button at the top right of this website and follow the tohutohu to complete your registration on the Māori electoral roll.

  • Decide

    Have a whakaaro about what’s important to you and pānui different resources to help empower you to make your decision.

  • Vote

    Enrolled voters will be sent a voting ballot in the mail. Tick the box next to the name of the candidate you tautoko and return your ballot to your nearest voting station.

Honouring Te Tiriti, strengthening our future.

More About Ange

I was born and raised on my tribal land and have been living back in my whanau homestead in Matapihi since 2017, when my mum passed away. I attended Te Kura o Matapihi, Mount Intermediate and Mount College where I was the deputy head girl, before heading to Dunedin to study PE and Psychology at the University of Otago.

I took up women’s rugby and went on to have a successful 10-year career in the sport. Injury led me to further university study, this time at Waikato University to undertake a specialised programme in Industrial relations and Human Resource Management and Organisational Psychology.

In the year 2000, I was recruited along with a small number of graduates to specialise in the Employment Relations Act, and provide specific and timely employment advice to employers, employees, and unions across Aotearoa. I have successfully facilitated and supported the resolution of hundreds of employment matters for people over the past 25 years.

Nowadays, I only work by word of mouth, and I have always upheld the kawa of koha when giving employment advice because I recognise the stress and financial burden that is experienced when people have employment problems, and I am a strong advocate for social justice for everyone.

In 2014 I studied a Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning through the University of Canterbury and secured my first teaching job at Mount Intermediate, then Te Akau ki Papamoa and finally as a relief teacher at Mount Maunganui College. I was actively involved in Education Governance throughout my children’s education. I have been the licensee for Kohanga Reo, Chairperson, secretary and treasurer for our Kindergarten and was Chairperson of the Mount Maunganui College Board for over 6 years. I remain a member of that board.

I am a mum to a blended whanau of 7 kids, current ages ranging from 16 – 34 years old, and nanny to 4 gorgeous mokopuna. I value education and every opportunity to learn and grow. My whanau experienced a mixture of Kohanga Reo, Kindergarten, Playcentre, English medium schools, Kura Kaupapa- Maori schools and University.

I have always been active in my marae, hapū and iwi matters - as a child going to hui with my mum and koro, and now as an adult. I am the current chairperson of two of our whanau ahu whenua trusts and incorporations. I have been the chairperson for Hunghungatoroa Marae and briefly served on the Ngāti He hapū trust. I have also recently been appointed to the Ngai Tukairangi hapū trust.

In the mid-nineties I was part of a working group for Ngāti He-Ngāi Te Ahi, gathering historic information to support our Raupatu claims. I have also had the opportunity to work for my iwi, Ngai Te Rangi under Whaea Ngareta Timutimu in the Education Unit as Kaihapai Rangatahi.

During the COVID-19 pandemic I accepted a role as an integrated advisor, Employment and Governance with the New Zealand School Trustees Association eventually becoming a specialist regional adviser for all schools within the Central Northern region, where I was responsible for the provision of accurate and timely advice that reduced all “risk” to school boards. I have supported hundreds of school boards and their communities across the country to work through complex situations.

I was responsible for the development and facilitation of education support programmes in response to the Kahikitia Māori Education Strategy. I developed “Club Rangatahi” a student led afterschool programme where teachers volunteered their time to attend and offer whatever support was required. This programme is still in operation at Mount Maunganui College.

I currently work as a contractor to Tauranga City Council (TCC) as a Maori Engagement Officer with a focus on supporting the City Waters Services Teams to engage appropriately with local iwi and hapū on projects of work that impact them under the Resource Management Act, the LGA and Council plans and policy. As part of my contract, I have the privilege of working alongside the 17 iwi and hapū representatives of Te Rangapu Mana Whenua within the Tauranga City Council boundaries.

I continue to grow my governance experience and skills with roles such as the Mana whenua representative for Tourism BOP, as a trustee on the Disabilities Resource Centre Trust (Regional Board) and as a trustee on the Playcentre Aotearoa Trust Board (National Board).