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Regional | Taranaki

Native Affairs - Taranaki Tales

Former New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd is ready to confront the government, urging them to establish Māori wards on every district council in New Zealand.

“I have a petition to Parliament challenging that legislation. It’s unfair, it’s biased. Now that I see how broken we are, I was brought here for a reason.”

Judd’s crusade for Māori began a year ago when he revealed to Native Affairs that he was a “recovering racist” and his views sparked a heated debate about institutionalised racism in New Zealand.  He was vilified, spat at and as a result, chose not to stand again for the mayoralty.

“I’m a Pakeha New Zealander and I’m proud of that. Maori allowed for me to have a place in the world here In Aotearoa, through the treaty. It’s important that our children aren’t still divided and raised like I have been raised by the ignorant, biased, racist, policies.”

He says his fight for Māori has just begun. He’s expecting to present his petition to Parliament next year.