February 16, 2015
Houghton makes tono for GI houses
The head of a Maori community housing provider has asked the Glen Innes community to support his bid for some of the state houses they are losing.
Ricky Houghton from He Korowai Atawhai Trust went to Glen Innes last week with Mana leader Hone Harawira, who has campaigned against Housing New Zealand’s so called regeneration plan.
He Korowai has moved nine of the houses to Kaitaia, where they are being put on land under Maori title and sold to whanau as part of a package that includes an early childhood education centre, medical clinic, marae and food growing area.
Mr Houghton says he understands the pain of those whanau losing their homes, but the policy is unstoppable and it’s better the houses are trucked away than demolished.
"By the time I get to these houses they've been decommissioned. All the services have been capped. They are scheduled for demolition and my plea was I guess a bit like organ donations. In one room you have got a whanau whose about to lose something or someone that they love very much. And then in the next room you have got another whanau full of hope. And I was going down there to appeal to the families to support me taking the houses into the north rather than them ending up in a landfill down there in Auckland" he says.
Ricky Houghton says he would like to help the Glen Innes families to set themselves up as a social housing provider so they could develop housing solutions that suit them.
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