In 1990, writes Sir Hugh Rennie in Chathams Resurgent: How the Islanders overcame 150 years of misrule, the islanders had lived with “years of muddlement, some good intentions, financial waste, exploitation and theft and failure to deliver democratic rights and basic infrastructure.”
Their increased independence since, he believes, has been a success story that might offer a lesson for other parts of Aotearoa misunderstood and neglected by government.
Sir Hugh Rennie CBE QC is a retired lawyer, director and trustee whose involvement in the Chathams spans more than 50 years, including 11 years from 1990 as first chair of the Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust. Rennie was knighted in 2022 for services to governance, the law, business and the community.
Photo: Supplied
