Far North District Council’s Hilda Halkyard-Harawira has been officially sworn as the 10th councillor on New Zealand’s northernmost territorial authority.

Halkyard-Harawira on Thursday used official oath to make the declaration, required under the Local Government Act, at a Far North District Council (FNDC) meeting in Kaikohe to officially become the organisation’s 10th councillor for the new 2022-2025 local government term.

Halkyard-Harawira used a document she had written herself to read out as her oath of office at FNDC’s October 27 official ceremony at the Kaikohe Memorial Hall.

FNDC meeting minutes from the livestreamed ceremony said Halkyard-Harawira had recited a declaration at the ceremony that was legally invalid.

Halkyard-Harawira’s oath was taken and signed by Far North Kahika (mayor) Moko Tepania meaning she officially shifted from being a councillor-elect to a councillor.

Nine of FNDC’s 11 elected representatives were sworn in at the council’s official ceremony two weeks ago.

Halkyard-Harawira’s declaration was one of two made at Thursday’s FNDC council meeting. Mate Radich became the 11th and final sworn-in FNDC councillor for the next three years. He was not at the October 27 ceremony.

FNDC councillors are: Tepania Kahika (mayor), Kelly Stratford (Deputy Mayor), Ann Court, Felicity Foy, Halkyard-Harawira, Babe Kapa, Penetaui Kleskovic, Steve McNally, Radich, Tāmati Rakena and John Vujcich.

Thursday’s meeting also documented the official October 20 swearing in of FNDC’s 19 community board members. There are three boards.

The three boards and their members are:

Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board: (7 members) Belinda Ward (Paihia subdivision) chairwoman, Lane Ayr (Kerikeri subdivision) deputy chairman, Tyler Bamber (Waipapa subdivision), Jane Hindle (Russell-Opua subdivision), Bruce Mills (Whangaroa subdivision), Roddy Hapati Pihema (Kawakawa-Moerewa subdivision) and Amy Slack (Kerikeri subdivision).

Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board: (6 members) Chicky Rudkin (Kaikohe subdivision)
chairwoman, Tanya Filia (South Hokianga subdivision) deputy chairwoman, Mike Edmonds (Kaikohe subdivision), Trinity Edwards (Kaikohe subdivision), Harmonie Gundry (North Hokianga subdivision) and Jessie McVeagh (South Hokianga subdivision).

Te Hiku Community Board: (6 members) Sheryl Bainbridge (Doubtless Bay subdivision) chairwoman, John Stewart (Kaitāia subdivision) deputy chairman, Darren Axe (North Cape subdivision), Rachel Baucke (Kaitāia subdivision), Adele Gardner (Kaitāia subdivision) and Bill Subritzky (Whatuwhiwhi subdivision).

Tepania said he wanted to strengthen the community boards’ powers and had been looking around New Zealand for examples to assist with doing so.

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