A councilor from Gisborne says she is disappointed by an apology she received about racially inappropriate comments that she says were made during an official meeting.
Meredith Akuhata-Brown said she was at a council meeting when she heard two of her colleagues say that not enough Māori had been killed during early meetings with James Cook.
At first, Mrs. Akuhata-Brown said she could not quite believe what she had heard.
"Dazzled silence to be honest, I had just dealt with a number of other issues and had been talking abroad about tolerance overseas, so I was quite shocked," she said.
"I think that when I look back, I wish I had said something, but I was just startled."
Mrs. Akuhata-Brown said the reactions were outrageous and inappropriate and showed that many people New Zealand's violent past still do not understand, despite the fact that 250 years ago James Cook had landed in Gisborne
. ] "This is actually a huge opportunity for us as a region to unravel the stories and then really explore the basics and unleash this horrible notion that there are people who hold so strongly on beliefs as & # 39; not enough Māori were killed & # 39 ;, she said.
"I think it is very important that people discover for themselves why they have those views and are really looking for the answer, otherwise we will spend another 250 years with not really healed , restored, returned for those feelings. "[19659002] Akuhata-Brown said she had filed a complaint about the incident with the council, which was examined by the Review of Review Code.
However, the board was unable to confirm whether the comments were made.
In a statement the Gisborne District Council said two council members have violated the code of conduct, which the council says is informally & # 39; have been treated.
Akuhata-Brown said that she has since received an apology from one of the councilors involved, but said it was inadequate.
"It was very back-handed I believe and unfortunately there was the intention to apologize for offensive comments that might have offended me but did not have the comment, so I was a bit confused. "
In a statement, the Gisborne District Council said that two council members have broken the Code of Conduct, which & # 39; informally & # 39; was treated.
The council could not confirm whether the remarks were made, and said it, but not to disclose the names of those involved for legal reasons.
"I can wholeheartedly assure the community that the research-related issues are by no means a reflection of the views within our organization," says Nedine Thatcher Swann, Chief Executive of Gisborne District Council, in a statement.
"We are disappointed that we are in this position."
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