Together Te Tauihu
Developing a historic partnership agreement between eight iwi and three councils.
- Client
- Eight iwi and three councils of Te Tauihu
- Online
- teatiawatrust.co.nz
O’D&Co convened and facilitated the development of Together Te Tauihu, working with partners and regional leadership to write a bilingual agreement that established a shared foundation for cooperation across the region.
The project
The eight iwi of Te Tauihu and the councils of Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough wanted to strengthen how they worked together.
The agreement needed to recognise the mana, responsibilities and independence of all 11 partners while expressing their shared aspirations for the region. It also needed to provide a useful basis for ongoing relationships, priorities and decisions.
Bringing this together required extensive engagement with partners and leadership, building on relationships developed over many years.
Our role
- Convening
- Facilitation
- Partner and regional leadership engagement
- Agreement development and writing
- Bilingual agreement production
- Brand identity
- Communications
- Launch support
We convened and facilitated the process, working closely with iwi and council representatives to develop the agreement.
Through hui and sustained engagement with regional leadership, we helped partners work through their expectations, identify shared principles and agree how these would be expressed.
We led the writing, identity and communications, bringing the work together as a bilingual agreement that reflected Te Tauihu and its partners. We also supported the launch and public communication of its purpose and significance.
The outcome
Together Te Tauihu was signed in December 2023 by the chairs of the eight iwi and the mayors of the three councils.
The agreement established shared partnership principles and arrangements for reviewing progress and identifying priorities. It gave all 11 partners an agreed foundation for closer cooperation while recognising their distinct roles and authority.
Our work helped translate extensive relationship-building and shared intent into a formal agreement for the region.
