May 17, 2016
Hosking diss boosts mayor
One of the organisers of Andrew Judd's planned hikoi to Parihaka says a negative reaction from a television host has helped galvanise support for the embattled New Plymouth mayor.
Glen Bennett became a Judd supporter when he saw the way he shifted from being a typical white mayor to one who confronted the nation's history and issues of inclusion and racism.
When Mr Judd revealed he was not standing for a second term because of the racist backlash to his attempts to create a Maori ward on the council, TV1 host Mike Hosking said he was "out of touch with middle New Zealand" and "there was nothing wrong with Maori representation on councils".
"Mike Hosking did us a great favour in terms of creating outrage and managing to spin this into something bigger than it may have been if he hadn't demonstrated what is simmering under the surface and showed there is that middle New Zealand which is totally opposed and totally fearful, which I don't quite understand, I guess afraid of inclusion and afraid of us moving forward together as a people," Mr Bennett says.
The 44 kilometre hikoi, which starts from the mayor's office at 6am on June 17, is a chance for people to reflect on how they can move forward as a nation.
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