A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Opinion
Re: Unless Pakeha majority are prepared to yield . . . September 2 letter.
Bullseye Joe, you hit the nail on the head. Currently the GDC election and selection process is flawed and based on race. It is a mechanism that furthers the interests of non-Maori, despite the 50/50 population
ratio of Maori to non-Maori within the district.
Quite right Joe, Maori are absent by default at the ballot box for all your stated reasons and more.
It is difficult to be more proactive and engaged in political processes when daily life revolves around basic survival. Our Turanganui - Gisborne Tairawhiti community have a shared history of facing adversity and disaster together. Is it too much to ask non-Maori to reach out and restore a more just and equitable system in local governance by supporting Maori wards?
A big yes for Maori wards would be a win/win situation for all of us, and help close the cultural and racial divide that undergirds this community. Unity in diversity. Let's do it.
