On 25th July 2023, the Northland Age published an article on its front page entitled "Far North Mayor wins Global Leadership Award". The article explains that the mayor will accept the award and travel to Belfast in October this year to collect his award. It also explains that he earned the award for his stance in supporting the "Make it 16" campaign, which is for the reduction of the local body government voting age to 16, for being the first to submit a council report in the Maori language and the first elected member to have spoken only te reo Maori in a council meeting. Winners of the award were chosen by a panel of "judges with unparalleled political expertise" but the article does not identify those judges or disclose what organisation they belong to. It also fails to advise whether or not the mayor's expenses for that trip to Belfast are to be paid for by that organisation or by the FNDC. I request to be advised who the judges are and their organisation and whether or not the FNDC will be funding the expenses for the mayor's trip to Belfast. Furthermore, will the mayor be claiming annual leave for his trip to Belfast or is it deemed to be time spent on full pay? When the mayor submitted a council report in the Maori language I request to be advised whether or not it was accompanied with an English translation. Similarly, when the mayor spoke only in te reo Maori at a council meeting, were his words translated for the accurate understanding of the attending Councillors and of the public gallery at that meeting?

The secrecy around the identities of the judges and their organisation is unacceptable. That secrecy begs the question of potential fraud. Travel expenses for the award ceremony should not be funded from any FNDC account. Opening the data would establish the identity of the judges and their organisation and whether or not the FNDC is expected to fund the trip.

An award for matters that are outside the normal business of operating the FNDC, such as supporting a political campaign, should not be carried out during the mayor's normal working hours. The period of time spent travelling to that award should be booked by the mayor out of his own time, for example by drawing against his annual leave or as leave without pay.

Carrying out FNDC business in te reo Maori is not a problem provided that all who receive the report mentioned above or attended the meeting carried out in te reo fully understood what had been communicated without having to spend extra time on translation. All who receive the minutes of that meeting also need to understand them. Opening the data would establish whether or not this proviso was complied with.

Making the identity of those who awarded the mayor public, establishing whether or not the expenditure of FNDC resources in this matter are appropriate and to encourage efficient communication of FNDC business when using a language that some Councillors and some of the public in the gallery may not understand.