May 18, 2015
Mayor cries racism over referendum
New Plymouth Mayor Andrew Judd says a law which allowed his council’s decision on Maori wards to be overturned shows the government is not serious about giving Maori a voice in local government.
In a referendum, New Plymouth residents voted more than four to one against the move.
It's the only action a council takes that can be challenged through a publicly-initiated binding referendum.
"That to me says the government or the crown has never been serious about the option because at the very end, the majority can decide for the minority. That is racist and biased and just infuriates me so I am not letting that aspect lie," Mr Judd says.
He’s disappointed with the Prime Minister’s off-hand dismissal of the issue, and he is looking at raising a complaint with the United Nations about New Zealand’s compliance with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
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