June 15, 2016
Hikoi focuses on racism of power
A wide cross section of Maori, Pakeha and other manuhiri joined New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd today for the start of his peace hikoi.
Over the next three days they will walk the 42 kilometres to Parihaka, holding community meetings on the way to discuss the state of the nation and how tangata whenua can be represented in local government.
Chinese-American Taranaki resident Elaine Shan Rowlands says the hikoi is important to her as a woman of colour.
"If there isn’t fair representation for Maori, there is not fair representation for anyone. Some people can say it is not my fight … it is my fight, it's everybopdy's fight. Back in the United States when I did anti-racism work, racism was very much a white people, European problem as much as it was an issue for people of colour," she says.
The marchers stopped at Oakura this afternoon for a community conversation.
Tomorrow the hikoi heads for Okato, and on to Parihaka on Friday.
Copyright © 2016, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com