Palmerston North mayor Grant Smith honoured Whitten – who died aged 78 on December 22 – at a city council meeting on Wednesday describing her as determined and professional.
She chaired the council’s community development committee during her six-year stint on the council, and in that role was instrumental in helping set up the Ethnic Council, a role she continued with as a volunteer for another 10 years.
The Ethnic Council, later the Multicultural Council, helped create Palmerston North’s annual Festival of Cultures.
Whitten was the secretary for the organisation rather than its public leader, and was widely credited for carrying out the background tasks that built in into a strong organisation that raised Palmerston North’s reputation as a diverse and inclusive community.