An Otago Regional councillor says he walked out when a karakia opened a meeting because “it was just a tick box exercise” and “no-one was listening anyway”.
Kevin Malcolm said his walkout in Dunedin on Wednesday was not related to Kaipara mayor Craig Jepson stopping his district’s first Māori ward councillor, Pera Paniora (Te Roroa, Ngāti Whātua), from saying karakia at the start of a meeting late last year.
“No, this is me expressing my values that I have,” Malcolm said.Read more