Napier Deserves Unified Leadership

A Statement from Te Taiwhenua o Te Whanganui a Orotu

Te Taiwhenua o Te Whanganui a Orotu stands for unified, principled leadership within Ahuriri, Napier. We condemn Napier City Council Mayor Richard McGrath’s request for Deputy Mayor Sally Crown to resign from her role.

As mana whenua of Ahuriri, we carry a responsibility to uphold the mana of our people and to support leadership that advances a prosperous, resilient and inclusive city. We stand in solidarity with Deputy Mayor Crown and respectfully call on the Mayor to rescind his request for her resignation.

Deputy Mayor Crown has consistently demonstrated professional leadership and an unwavering commitment to putting Napier first.

In any healthy democracy, there will be differing perspectives. That is not a weakness - it is a strength. Effective leadership requires not only a commitment to unity, but a willingness to value diverse viewpoints and recognise that respectful challenge and robust debate are essential to sound decision-making.

Te Taiwhenua o Te Whanganui a Orotu CEO Mat Mullany (Ngāti Pārau) states:

“ Taiwhenua o Te Whanganui-a-Orotu stands in support of Deputy Mayor of the Napier City Council, Sally Crown. The Taiwhenua opposes the Mayor's decision to remove Sally Crown from the Deputy Mayor role if she does not resign. Our solidarity with Deputy Mayor Crown is grounded in principle. She has stood for partnership, accountability, and inclusive decision-making. Those values matter to our people and our city."

Te Taiwhenua remains committed to constructive relationships with Napier City Council. In that spirit, we respectfully seek an open discussion with the Honourable Mayor Richard McGrath in the near future, so that concerns can be addressed kanohi ki te kanohi and the integrity of our civic leadership upheld.

Because true leadership does not silence.
It strengthens.