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.
CRUDEN, Gordon Neil: 12.04.1933 – 28.01.2021 Former Palmerston North city councillor Gordon Cruden has been remembered as a man with a formal demeanour and sharp mind and also, a great sense of humour. Cruden had two stints on the city council, from 1967 to1971, and again from 2001 to 2010. He contested the Palmerston North seat for Parliament as the National candidate in 1967 and 1969, coming close to unseating Labour MP Joe Walding on his second attempt. Having practised as a lawyer in Palmerston North since 1958, Cruden moved to Hong Kong in 1973, where he was a judge for more than 20 years. Former mayor Jono Naylor remembers working closely with Cruden after his return to his home city during the 2000s.