ACT-aligned councillor Davina Smolders is spreading claims the Far North District Council plans to sign agreements ceding sovereignty to five iwi.

She previously challenged a recent Council decision to expand a Māori liaison committee - appointing 10 iwi members with voting rights, out of a total 16. 

Smolders says it's not co-governance, but rather outright iwi governance.

"So it's going to affect everybody...if you want to move dirt, you have to pay for cultural impact reports, it's a grift - pure and simple. It's holding development hostage." 

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