February 01, 2017
Call for iwi to take stand in P battle
A hikoi has just set off from Te Rerenga Wairua to raise awareness of the damage methamphetamine is doing to whanau and communities.
Organiser Reti Boynton says the marchers aim to arrive at Waitangi on Sunday morning so they can make their point to the politicians and officials arriving for treaty commemorations.
He says methamphetamine is a problem nationwide, with at least 200 children now in state care because their parents or guardians got caught up in the drug.
Mr Boynton says he’s not impressed with the official response.
"I'm not a biased person. I'm a Maori myself but I look at our iwi leaders. I've got to ask myself what is being done. No one is stepping forward. Even with our hikoi there are a lot of people hesitant to step forward because it's a dangerous issue," he says.
Mr Boynton says as well as raising awareness of the issue, the hikoi will share information about rehabilitation and addiction help that is available but not widely advertised
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FULL INTERVIEW WITH RETI BOYNTON
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