July 27, 2020
Walk in centres first step for drug rehab
A Gisborne-based Māori health advocate is setting up walk-in drug care centres after getting frustrated at government initiatives to tackle addiction.
Tuta Ngarimu says official programmes ignore the need to consult with whānau and the community.
The three new centres in Tairāwhiti will support not only those struggling with methamphetamine addiction but also their whānau, and they will be run by people with lived experience of drug abuse.
He says it's a step towards his ultimate goal of residential treatment centres for the coast.
"Residental care has served one purpose and that is to get our whānau off the street because there is no other way. I think for our people back here we need a residential programme but it has to have a big component of tikanga Māori as well as a little bit of clinical in there for it to work for our people," Mr Ngarimu says.
Tuta Ngarimu
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