First Maori woman on capital’s council

The first Maori woman elected to Wellington City Council might never have applied, had she not been confronted with a family forced to live on a campsite in the weeks before the election.

Jill Day met the homeless family through her position as a primary school teacher in Tawa.

‘‘It was really shocking to see this happen to a family who had been trucking along fine,’’ she said.

Watching the single mother and four children spending week after week shifted around a campsite was what kicked Day into action. It also placed tackling housing and homelessness at the top of her priority list.

‘‘These are people who had moved to Wellington a year before to make a fresh start. It was really hard because the mum didn’t want to change her children to a new school, they had had enough change.’’

Day will be taking over the Children and Young People and Iwi Partnership portfolios. She is not shirking away from the heavy workload or the expectations placed upon her as the first female Maori councillor.

‘‘I see it as working to your strengths, and for me working with young people is a strength. There are lots of people who can help me and guide me. It’s really important for me to gain a picture of what’s been happening in these areas, so for the next wee while it’s going to be a lot of listening.’’

The revelation that she was the first female Maori councillor came as a surprise to Day.

‘‘It shows how far we have come and how far we have left to go,’’ she said.

Day is the first to say she is not the most distinctly Maori-looking woman, but she can trace her lineage back five generations, all the way to the Land Wars.

‘‘There has to be diversity within diversity. I don’t look Maori - but that’s challenging stereotypes, isn’t it?’’ she said.

Day has spent the past four years learning te reo to help reconnect with her heritage - a heritage that was nearly lost after her grandfather left his Maori relatives to live in Christchurch following his father’s death during World War I.

"There has to be diversity within diversity. I don't look Maori - but that's challenging stereotypes, isn't it?" Wellington City councillor Jill Day

Former Wellington councillor Ray Ahipene-Mercer, himself only the second Maori to be elected to Wellington City Council, said the election reflected a progressive city. ‘‘It’s amazing. First of all I would say because she’s a female, and we need more input from women, and secondly as a Maori woman she brings that extra dimension,’’ he said.

‘‘This is historic for her and it’s historic for the Wellington City Council.’’