Citizens team ‘old boys’

Press, 1 August 1989, Page 3

Citizens team ‘old boys’

By

CULLEN SMITH

United Citizens Association candidates for the Canterbury Regional Council have been described as an “old boys’ club" by a Labour Party contender, Ms Diana Shand. The United Citizens team, announced yesterday, was basically unrepresentative of Canterbury and of the needs of the new regional government, Ms Shand said. Canterbury Labour deliberately built up a line-up of people with careers highly relevant to the role of the new regional government, she said. The United Citizens team smacked of

the old boys’ Club and greatly lacked relevance to new needs and new approaches, Ms Shand said. It was vital that a body elected to represent Canterbury should include women and Maoris and have a wide range of experience in land and planning issues. “Canterbury deserves the best representation possible and a line-up of fresh faces. Canterbury Labour deliberately went out and recruited to get the depth of representation and expertise found in its candidates,” Ms Shand said. It was telling that United Citizens did not think it important to do the same for the region,” she said.