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Ngāi Tahu members had a chance to tell of their experience of the Canterbury and Kaikoura earthquakes and their aftermath to the inquiry into the Earthquake Commission.
Helen Leahy from South Island whānau ora commissioning agency Te Pūtahitanga says inquiry head Dame Silvia Cartwright was concerned not many Māori were turning up to the public hearings.
She says the cultural issues often get ignored in the earthquake claim process, such as damage to a whare that may have been in the care of a whānau for generations and the role of marae.
"The importance of having a hub, being able to come together as a marae with the iwi, with whānau ora, with navigators, with community people to assist with accommodation, with the earthquake support coordinators and bringing them all together instead of having 17 different agencies to weave your way through as you are trying to get your life back together," Ms Leahy says.
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