Blackball, 1st of may 2016.- On the occasion May Day celebration and as part of a seminar to discuss the prospects for development in the mining area of the West Coast, social and trade union groups showed its appreciation for the consultation mechanisms established in Cuba, as part of the process of implementation of major economic and social policies.
During his participation in the event, the Ambassador of Cuba, Mario Alzugaray, gave details on the process of debate of the Guidelines for Economic and Social Policies prior to the Sixth Party Congress in 2011. He also briefed the audience on the recently-concluded VII Party Congress resolutions, instructing the exercise of broad consultation on the conceptualization of the model and the strategic development plan through the year 2030, which is not limited to Party and Young Communist League militants, but also includes major mass organizations and other sectors of society.
Wide range of trade union groups and administrative local institutions took part in the event, which was also attended by Members of Parliament Kevin Hague (Green) and Damien O´connor (Labour), as well as by the Mayor of Greymouth, Tony Kokshoorn.
During his visit to the town of Blackball, birthplace of the Labour Party and headquarter for many years of the Communist Party of New Zealand, the Cuban diplomat witnessed signs of solidarity towards his country, more vivid at the Blackball Museum of Working Class History. Different materials, carefully preserved thanks to the attention of the well known filmmaker and activist Paul Mander, are a testimony of the contribution by the Cuba Friendship Society in Aotearoa New Zealand in the struggle for the release of the Cuban Five.
The West Coast region and particularly Blackball, located in the South Island of New Zealand, has among its main challenges to boost development and employment in an economy where the now almost extinct carbon industry used to play a big role. Its irregular geography and low population density are factors that add complexity to this scenario, especially given the growing rates of other regions in the nation.