Cr Kevin Malcolm left a closed-door emergency meeting on March 8, saying afterwards: "I’ve had enough of being told what I have to believe in."
Cr Malcolm’s protest left the council, which was in the process of extending interim chief executive Pim Borren’s contract to May 31, temporarily without enough people in the room to conduct business.
He said at the time karakia as openings had not been the norm at the council.
Rather, they had been imposed on the council this term by new chairwoman Gretchen Robertson.
There had been emails between councillors when the openings were first raised because there had been some disagreement and some wanted to "debate it, talk about it".
"That opportunity has never been given to us," Cr Malcolm said.
In response, Cr Robertson said she would welcome a council debate on karakia use.
In a report to be presented at today’s council meeting she said in the previous term, former chairman Andrew Noone spoke with mana whenua about recommending a karakia appropriate for the council to use in a variety of forums.
The one used at the emergency meeting was the one mana whenua provided.
While commonly translated as a "prayer", karakia did not have to have "religious intent", Cr Robertson said.
Her report provided the Māori version and an English translation.
"In Te Ao Māori [the Māori world view] karakia delineates a time and space for a specific activity, or event," Cr Robertson said.
"It clears the pathway and brings people together for a common purpose, as often members of the group have come from different areas and via different journeys. It settles and brings the group together and enables the group to focus on the work at hand."
She said council standing orders allowed for meetings to be opened with "some form of reflection" to mark the importance of the occasion.
Further, the council had used karakia in the past to open and close meetings, including the first meeting of this term, she said.
"This is part of our ongoing commitment to an improved mana whenua partnership and as part of ensuring the ORC is enabled to apply the use of appropriate tikanga [protocol] at ORC meetings and events."
The report does not provide councillors with options for the use of karakia and instead recommends the report be noted.
ORC karakia (with translation)
Opening
Tuia ki runga (Unite above)
Tuia ki raro (Unite below)
Tuia ki waho (Unite without)
Tuia ki roto (Unite within)
Tuia ki te here tangata (Unite as one)
Ka rongo te po (Listen to the night)
Ka rongo te ao (Listen to the world of light)
Haumi e, hui e, taiki e (And now we can come together).
Closing
Kua mutu a mātou mahi (Our work is finished)
Mō tēnei wā (For the moment)
Manaakitia mai mātou katoa (Bless us all)
O mātou hoa (Our colleagues)
O mātou whānau (Our families)
Aio ki te aorangi (Peace to the universe).
Or alternative closing
Kia tau te rangimarie (Let peace reign)
Ki runga i ngā iwi o te ao (On all the peoples of the world).
SOURCE: ORC
