'It’s not about dividing people': Local board defends rainbow and te reo commitments

Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board members have defended their draft plan’s support for rainbow communities and te reo Māori after a resident challenged both during a public forum this week.

John McCoskrie questioned the plan’s use of the word “celebrate” in relation to diverse sexual orientations and genders. He also challenged the prominence of te ao Māori in the plan and argued that English should come before te reo Māori on official documents and signage.

McCoskrie said his concerns reflected his religious beliefs and suggested the board could be overlooking the views of Christian and Muslim residents.

Deputy chair Vi Hausia, speaking remotely, said he “100 per cent” disagreed with McCoskrie’s views.

“Our local board plan says that we support all of our community,” Hausia said. “It’s not this or that, them or another group of people.”

People could be Christian, belong to the rainbow community or practise another religion and still be part of the community the board served, he said.

“It’s not about dividing people. It’s about respecting the diversity of all people.”

Hausia said the board did not use enough te reo Māori in its plan. “We need to do more. We need to do better.”

McCoskrie clarified that his objection was to the word “celebrate” in relation to sexual orientation.

Member Kushma Nair asked what evidence showed that most residents and ratepayers shared McCoskrie’s views. McCoskrie suggested surveying residents about the issues he had raised.

“I might be completely wrong,” he said, but he questioned whether the board knew what local people thought.

Member Li’amanaia Lorenzo Kaisara spoke as a Christian and said the board had a duty to serve people of different beliefs and backgrounds.

McCoskrie then apologised if his comments had sounded condemnatory. He said he was willing to live alongside and do business with people of different genders and sexual orientations, but maintained that, in his religious view, homosexuality was a sin and should not be celebrated.

Member Topou Folau said his work as a health professional had shown him poor health outcomes and trauma among some people in the communities being discussed. He said celebrating diversity could help people and the wider community.

Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board members at an earlier monthly business meeting. John McCoskrie addressed the board during public forum at Tuesday’s meeting. Photo/PMN News/Taelegalolo'u Mary Afemata

Chair Apulu Reece Autagavaia said McCoskrie had a right to present his views and that the board would assess his feedback alongside other views from the community.

“What you’ve brought up, I think those are issues that we won’t be changing for our local board plan,” Apulu said.

As the meeting was drawing to a close, Li’amanaia returned to McCoskrie’s presentation. He said the subject matter had made him feel unsafe and asked whether staff should review presentations before speakers addressed the board.

Apulu said he wanted residents with different views to be able to speak to their elected representatives. He acknowledged the effect of the discussion on members and said he could give them advance notice of sensitive topics in future.

A staff member said the chair could stop a speaker who became aggressive and have them escorted out if necessary. That had not happened at this meeting.

The board formally thanked McCoskrie for his presentation. No decision was made to amend the draft plan in response.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.