An anti-racism rally took place outside the Gisborne District Council this morning.
The rally follows councillor Meredith Akuhata-Brown's allegation that her colleague Malcolm MacLean made racist remarks.
Amongst the crowd was former New Plymouth mayor and anti-racism advocate, Andrew Judd.
He says while the allegations were disappointing, he wasn't surprised.
Judd, who calls himself a 'recovering racist' is pleased to be able to support another small community who are making a stand against racism.
"Ignorance is no longer an excuse. It's time to actually be Treaty partners. Our children deserve better."
Council member and event organiser, Tina Ngata, says Judd’s support shows that this issue goes beyond Gisborne.
"Andrew is talking about the importance of being responsible about our pasts. In this case it happens to be what happened when the Endeavour landed, but actually all of Aotearoa has a past to face, and it includes a level of privilege that still exists today.”
She also says today’s rally is an opportunity to get people talking about the effects of racism in today’s society.
"Racism is everywhere. It's not a case of if we are racist, it's a case of whether we are willing to face it, and this is a great opportunity to have that discussion."