October 14, 2019
Māori needs on Goff radar for second term
Auckland mayor Phil Goff wants to see the city’s Māori identity come more to the fore in his second term.
The veteran politician took 49 percent of the vote, outpolling his closest challenger, Waipareira Trust head John Tamihere, by more than two to one.
He wants to focus on cleaning up the environment, especially the condition of the super city’s three harbours, improve transport and make it more affordable by securing a fare discount for community card holders, and boost housing supply, including partnering with iwi on developments.
The council is also working with social agencies on the Housing First policy, where the homeless are put into their own homes.
"Fifty seven percent of the more than 1000 people we have housed out of emergency housing, out of cars, off the streets, are Māori and that's because you have an ongoing inequity in our city where the people most likely to suffer from social and economic disadvantage are Māori and are Pasifika," Mr Goff says.
Auckland Council has $150 million in its long term plan for spending on Māori initiatives such as marae infrastructure.
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