FNDC condemns online racism

Far North Mayor Moko Tepania has expressed council concerns over increasing numbers of objectionable and often racist comments on social media, including the Far North District Council’s Facebook page.

Addressing a council meeting last week (13 March), Kahika Tepania noted that recent posts had “garnered a lot of attention.” The most recent was a post promoting funding opportunities for event organisers wishing to celebrate Matariki. The council turned off comments after a flood of negative remarks. Kahika Tepania added that while it is great to see people engaging with the council, racist comments will not be tolerated.

“We wholeheartedly welcome community feedback,” says Kahika Tepania. “However, our council will not tolerate bullying, racism, or personal attacks of any kind. We are committed to fostering an inclusive community where everyone feels safe, valued, and respected.”

Community and Engagement Group Manager, Ruben Garcia, acknowledges that social media has increasingly become a channel for individuals to express negative, ill-informed, or bullying remarks—often anonymously.

“Our Communications Team actively monitors comments for breaches of our page rules,” Mr Garcia explains. “We remove content featuring offensive or threatening language, defamatory or demonstrably false statements, and language that expresses hostility on the grounds of colour, race, or national origins. Unfortunately, we have seen a noticeable increase in comments specifically targeting Māori. As an organisation, we unequivocally reject discrimination and racism. I have instructed staff to strictly enforce our page rules by removing objectionable comments and banning repeat offenders.”

He adds that the council remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring digital spaces, as well as physical ones, are free of harmful and hateful material.