Ian Smith

Ian is the Chairperson of the Wellington Aboriginal Community Working Party that is presently negotiating a SRA with the Office of Indigenous Policy Co-ordination Centre to develop a night patrol and Men’s group activities. On a day-to-day basis he helps to organise community meetings and build awareness about WAWP activities. As a member of Wellington Aboriginal Town Common Committee he is working on a community grant report for the National Heritage Trust and monitoring environmental work done on the Common. He has lobbied actively for funding for urgent repairs to Local Aboriginal Land Council owned properties in Wellington, worked with the community to prevent violence. He believes that one of the biggest difficulties in implementing human rights is getting Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal individuals and organizations they represent to the table to talk to each other.