August 17, 2022
Māori ready to step up to run towns
A candidate for the Gisborne mayoralty says it’s time New Zealand accepted that Māori is more than capable of serving their local communities at the highest levels.
Ngati Porou educator Rhonda Tibble is standing for a seat on the council – but also gunning for the mayor.
She says people like Sir Apirana Ngata and Parekura Horomia showed great leadership at the national level – but Maori also have the skills to serve the whole community at the local government level.
“Look at what we’ve done in the last 20 years – graduated more than 500 PhDs. If we look at what is happening across the treaty space, we’re managing businesses in excess of billions these days. Our contribution to the New Zealand economy is way up there but general New Zealand does not know this,” Ms Tibble says.
She also wants to see an online voting option to make the elections more accessible to younger voters.