Waiho I te toipoto, kaua I te toiroa
Let us keep close together, not far apart

In November last year the Sport Northland board took a significant step towards co-governance through trust deed changes approved at their 2021 AGM.

The changes saw the acknowledgement of He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the trust deed as NZ’s founding documents, and a partnership with Te Kahu o Taonui, the Iwi Chair’s Collective, in which they appoint one trustee to the board and a Te Kahu o Taonui representative being added to the Board Appointments Panel. This panel is, in turn, responsible for recruiting the other two Māori appointed trustees.

This ensured a board composition of 50% Tangata Whenua and 50% Tangata Tiriti (or non-Māori) , enabling strategic discussions and decisions at the board table to be equitable and made with all Northlanders in mind.

And now the board has made another big stride towards true co-governance through the recent board decision to appoint co-chairs to lead the board. Current Chair Libby Jones will become the Tangata Tiriti Co-Chair, with current board member Kath Wharton elected as the Tangata Whenua Co-Chair.

Kath is currently Healthy Families Far North Manager and resides in Matauri Bay. She has a Masters in Māori and Indigenous Leadership and has previously worked for Auckland City Council, Taiohi Whai Oranga and Oranga Tamariki. Her career in the public sector has been carved from a deep-seated drive to serve her community and change the system from within. Currently also a Rugby League Northland board member, Kath has been an international sports person having represented NZ in rugby league, tag football and kabaddi.

Wharton says Sport Northland continues to make momentous steps towards a future where tikanga, mātauranga and Māori governance is openly embraced for all its strengths.

“I want to acknowledge the board for their commitment to demonstrating how we give effect to Te Tiriti and He Whakaputanga in a practical way. A shared leadership model enables us to explore and progress a true partnership between Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti ensuring all Northlanders are front and centre of decisions.”

Libby has been on the board since 2016, initially as the representative from Kaipara District Council, and then for two years served as the deputy chair. Her election in December as chair was a significant milestone for the organisation, becoming the first female chair of Sport Northland.             

With a successful professional career in health and social services behind her, Libby is currently the manager of Jigsaw North Manaaki Whānau Services in Whangarei, as well as joint owner of a beef farm near Paparoa in the Kaipara district. Governance-wise, Libby has just finished up as a director on the Northland District Health Board, enjoyed a term as a Kaipara District Council Councillor and has had board roles with Rural Support Trust Northland and Volunteering Northland. She is also heavily involved in her local community of Paparoa in promoting physical activity and community connectedness.

Jones is equally as excited with the latest development, saying “once we began the co-governance journey it was a logical next step to have co-chairs. This is a genuine sharing of power and responsibility for the governance leadership of Sport Northland and we will be learning together.”

The bi-cultural journey that the organisation has been on has been challenging at times, and this will likely continue to be the case with these latest changes, but Sport Northland believes that it will give the organisation the foundation required to work towards the ultimate goal of seeing all Northlanders moving more for better well-being.

Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi
With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive