September 26, 2023
Motel housing crisis shuffled into backstreets
The Māori Party candidate for Rotorua is skeptical at claims the city’s emergency housing crisis is being fixed.
Merepeka Raukawa Tait says while the number of whanau stuffed into motels may have dropped, her door knocking indicates many have just been shuffled elsewhere, including garages or couch surfing with friends or relatives.
“For most of them and particularly the women with children, it is just not an ideal situation and after six months most of the women tell me they really are experiencing not only a high level of stress but ongoing mental distress as well. It’s not good,” she says.
Ms Raukawa Tait says a lack of consistent support services for those in emergency housing is a concern for voters, as many of the men living in motels wander aimlessly during the day.