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A Ruapehu district councillor refused to stay in the room for a 12-second karakia to open a council meeting.
[…] Doyle said he was uncomfortable with opening a public meeting with any formal system of belief, whether it was “a karakia, a Hail Mary or an Our Father”.
[…] he asked the mayor to respect his right not to be present for the karakia and excused himself from the room.
[…] In a text to Awa FM, Doyle said: “Karakia was introduced without consultation or the consent of elected members”. He wrote: “Whilst I respect the right to exercise a system of belief, there should be a corresponding respect for people who choose not to exercise that right. In short, I would prefer that politics and religion did not mix.”
[…] Pue says using karakia to open meetings would contribute to the council being a good Treaty partner.
NZ Herald
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