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Green MP Marama Davidson says government is failing to support the community services that are picking up work it should be doing.
The Greens’ Maori caucus is on a national tour to listen to Maori concerns, starting with Northland last week.
The MPs called in to He Korowai Trust in Kaitaia, where Ricky Houghton and his team offer emergency housing, social housing with a pathway to home ownership for Maori, as well as wraparound social services, health, education and economic development.
Ms Davidson says that sort of community response highlights the long term neglect by successive governments of areas like the far north.
"Incredible deprivation but also the solutions are right there. Government needs to both get out of the way and help out with the grassroots organisations who have been leading on the work for years and just need a bit of awhi," she says.
The Green MPs also witnessed first hand the damage dairy farming is doing to land and waterways by travelling up the Wairau River with kaitiaki Millan Ruka.
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