October 07, 2022
Council veteran urges Māori to step up
One of the longest-serving Māori in local government is stepping down – and he says it’s a great time for Māori to step up.
Henare O’Keefe has spent 15 years representing the Flaxmere ward on Hastings District Council.
When he took over in 2007 the area had a reputation for gangs, crime and violence, but he says “people power” took back the community.
That’s the formula for any local government success.
“You just get on with it. Our people have to realise from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed, that’s local government. You flush your toilet, you want to build a house, roads, lights, recreation, that’s council,.” Mr O’Keeefe says.
Three Maori and a Samoan are contesting the Flaxmere ward, and Mr O’Keefe says any one of them will do a great job.
Voting in the local body elections ends at noon tomorrow.