September 28, 2023
Youth crime focus beat up says candidate
Te Pāti Māori Rotorua candidate, Merepeka Raukawa Tait, says people on the campaign trail want to talk about youth offending – but the biggest criminal activity in Rotorua is still male assaults female.
The former Womens’ Refuge head says voters are are getting a false picture .
“People, they read the headlines or they see one isolated incident and it’s ‘oh my gosh, our people are running amok. That’s not correct. Domestic violence is still the number one criminal offence in Rotorua so that is making our homes unsafe for our children. Most of the issues in Rotorua are in relation to not so much the cost of living but people not living to their potential,” she says.
Ms Raukawa-Tait says Rotorua is a low wage economy, and people find it hard to cope with the shock of events like Covid.