Maxwell: If I can anyone can

High Achiever: Trevor Maxwell, Rotorua deputy mayor, Tourism New Zealand kaupapa Maori director and deputy chairman of Toi Maori Aotearoa

Trevor Maxwell has just returned from an international conference about local government and indigenous people and, as a prominent Te Arawa figure and a district councillor of 34 years, it is a topic he is well qualified to talk about.

This is the third time Trevor has represented Rotorua and New Zealand at the Intercity Intangible Cultural Co-operation Network and, although he was not an official speaker this time, he feels he gained much from listening.

"Some discussions were very interesting and I learnt about how each country is working with local government and including their indigenous culture and people.

"It showed we are doing very well here in Rotorua and in New Zealand in this area. Everyone can always make improvements, but in Rotorua there is a real embracing of Maori through the Te Arawa Standing Committee."

The ICCN held its youth conference at the same time and Trevor said it was a great opportunity for young people to see local government for the dynamic, changing entity it is. He is keen to see more young people get involved in local government, but recognises the difficulties around balancing work commitments with the demands of being a councillor.

"Be it young people, Maori, women - It's about being inclusive and having a good balance."

It was Sir Peter Tapsell who encouraged Trevor Maxwell to enter local body politics.

"He was the deputy mayor at the time. I was doing my own radio programme, which was quite popular, and he encouraged me to stand. I was reluctant at first - I put my nomination in then went away for the weekend in case my people thought 'who does he think he is?'."

But that was 34 years ago and Trevor is now the longest-serving councillor, having worked under and learned from the late John Keaney, Sir Peter Tapsell, Grahame Hall and, now, Kevin Winters. And he insists he still enjoys it and is still learning.

Trevor says his success shows anybody can get involved.

"I come from humble beginnings, coming from the little village of Awahou to the big metropolis of Rotorua."

He sees himself as a link between the council and Te Arawa, but says he is there to represent the whole community and, while he can give his perspective on things, he would never claim to speak for all Maori.

The ICCN conference, which includes delegates from 22 countries, was held in Gannat, France, this year and Trevor says being a New Zealander in France when the All Blacks beat France in the Rugby World Cup was a humbling experience.

"Even the mayor of Gannat came up to me and said: 'The All Blacks! They were just too good.' Everybody was talking to me about the All Blacks and Jonah Lomu and asking to see a haka."

As a past leader of the award-winning Ngati Rangiwewehi kapa haka group, that's something Trevor is more than capable of doing and he did not disappoint the delegates. But he said the profile the Rugby World Cup had given New Zealand and Rotorua was fantastic.

"When I told people I was from Rotorua, they knew we had three games. People said: 'You live in such a wonderful, green country."'

Trevor has been involved in tourism since he started performing in cultural shows as a young man. Today he holds the role of kaupapa Maori for Tourism New Zealand, but he said the conference really opened his eyes to how big global tourism was and how important indigenous cultures were becoming in the sector.

"People today don't want to just visit a country, they want to experience it or even to participate in it."