New Plymouth’s mayor, Andrew Judd – who describes himself as a “recovering racist” – stepped out today on a three-day walk from the centre of his city to Parihaka.

He’s calling his hikoi through Taranaki a “Peace Walk”.

He’s not walking alone, either.

Archbishop Philip Richardson strode out at his shoulder this morning, and at least 500 others joined the hikoi as it made its way through New Plymouth.

The numbers dropped off at the city limits – but at least 100 folk, including Archbishop Philip, completed today’s first leg of the journey, a 15km march to Oakura. 

The back story

Andrew Judd won the 2013 election for New Plymouth’s mayoralty with a landslide majority. In 2014, under his leadership, New Plymouth’s councillors voted in support of establishing a Maori ward.

That vote, in turn, led to another landslide – a citizens’ initiated 2015 referendum in which 83 percent of the voters rejected the proposal of a Maori ward for New Plymouth.

Mayor Judd then decided that the costs of his stand on Maori representation – both to his family and to New Plymouth’s reputation – were such that he wouldn’t stand for re-election again this year. He’d go out as a one-term mayor.

But he also decided he’d embark on this Peace Walk, as a way of “walking into a new conversation”.

The Peace Walk’s organisers are at pains to say their walk is not a protest, but a chance to create different ways to talk about issues that affect the community.

Hundreds of people were at the briefing outside of the New Plymouth District Council Civic Centre this morning.

Walk, and talk

Some have come from outside Taranaki to support the peace project. Pat McGill, for example, who is 90, travelled from Napier and said he hoped the walk would help create the change necessary to address social inequality. 

“When people walk, they talk, and in time they listen,” he said. 

Archbishop Philip has also been happy to stand up, walk[1] and be counted.

He told the Taranaki Daily News that the Peace Walk was not only a way to honour the Treaty of Waitangi, but an invitation to Pakeha and Maori to create better ways to relate to one another.

The walkers have so far been treated to toots from passing motorists, high fives from pedestrians and a haka outside New Plymouth’s Spotswood College. 

Community forums were to be held this afternoon in Oakura and Thursday in Okato, which will give people a chance to talk about different issues.

[1] Archbishop Philip walked today – and will rejoin the walk on Friday.