September 22, 2019
Cook protest chance to tell hidden history
A Gisborne local government candidate says a planned October 8 protest against the arrival in the city of a replica of Captain Cook's Endeavour is a chance for Māori to speak up about how colonialism affected and continues to affect them.
Meredith Akuhata Brown says Cook's visit 250 years ago did not go well for iwi in Tūranganui a Kiwa, and they want that history told.
People also feel they are not being heard on contemporary issues such as Oranga Tamariki uplifts and the roll out of the 5G wireless data network.
"It's around community engagement, our citizenship, our right to debate, discuss and have a kind of consideration but we are often finding as citizens we just have things done to us without anyone asking do we want that and so for some people, they have seen it as an opportunity to say 'stop doing what we haven't asked for,'" Ms Akuhata Brown.
Voting packs for the local government elections have gone out and need to be returned by October 12.
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