A suggestion by the mayor of Auckland that a liaison group be formed bridging between the city's councillors and the glbti communities has taken a step towards reality with a formal submission being received by a council sub-committee. Mayor Len Brown's suggestion was made at a recent meeting of the Rainbow Door group which already provides a link between council staff and glbti residents but Brown suggested a higher-level link be forged between the councillors and the gay communities to provide input on broader policy issues. Similar groups are already working for minority groups such as Pacific Islanders and the elderly. Bruce Kilmister, soon to retire as General Manager of Body Positive and who has been a local body politician in the past, took up the suggestion and made the initial submission to the Social and Community forum of the council's Regional Development and Operations Committee. "Council has in recent years already been a good and proactive supporter of glbti initiatives," says Kilmister, "but this will formalise contact in matters such as policing, safety, the Pride festival and the city's welcoming of such events as the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Outgames." The submission was almost unanimously accepted by Forum members, the only hold-out being the conservative ex-mayor of North Shore City, George Wood. Council officers will now prepare a scoping report and refer it back to the Forum with their recommendations.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 28th September 2014 - 9:12pm