The code of conduct review came after Councillor Meredith Akuhata-Brown claimed that during a lunchtime discussion between two of her colleagues, one said “not enough were killed”, referring to when local Maori were killed by crew members of the Endeavour in October 1769.
Mrs Akuhata-Brown made the accusation in a Gisborne Herald column, reflecting on a trip to Los Angeles with a group of students who had been learning about racism and tolerance.
“I returned home to a meeting with some Gisborne residents who feel at risk from our prisoner reintegration system, and a Gisborne District Council meeting where conversation over lunch included references to the killing of local Maori when Cook arrived and, according to a couple of my colleagues, ‘not enough were killed’,” she wrote in the column.
“We still have a way to go when it comes to tolerance and understanding and yet some would say we have had better education, so why do such strong attitudes exist?,” her column said.
The alleged comments referred to the first meeting between the crew of the Endeavour and Maori at Gisborne in October 1769, when nine Maori were shot and three young boys were kept on the ship.
Pressure has been mounting in the Gisborne community for the councillor alleged to have made the remark to be identified and to be disciplined or even asked to resign.
Social media has been running hot with the issue and there have been a number of letters to the editor.
