Waipareira chief executive and Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere says proposed move-on orders must be viewed within a wider pattern of Government policies placing pressure on Māori communities.
Tamihere joined Radio Waatea as debate intensifies over the Summary Offences (Move-on Orders) Amendment Bill, which would give Police and authorised officers greater powers to direct people to leave public places under certain circumstances.
Community, health and youth advocates have raised concerns that the legislation could disproportionately affect rangatahi Māori experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity, poverty and disconnection from support services.
Critics argue the bill risks turning visible poverty and homelessness into a policing matter, rather than addressing the underlying social and economic conditions that leave young people without safe places to go.
Tamihere says Māori are likely to feel the sharpest edge of such laws because of existing inequities across housing, justice, health, education and income.
He says the proposal sits alongside broader concerns about Government decisions affecting Māori communities, including changes in social policy, pressure on public services, justice settings and the rollback of policies designed to recognise Māori rights and improve equity.
From a Māori community perspective, the fear is that move-on powers could increase contact between vulnerable rangatahi and the justice system, rather than connecting them with housing, whānau support, mental health services, education and employment pathways.
Frontline organisations have warned that young people who are moved from public spaces may be pushed into more isolated and unsafe areas, making them harder to reach and more vulnerable to exploitation, violence and harm.
Tamihere says the issue is not just about one bill, but about whether Government policy is being shaped around punishment and control or prevention, investment and whānau wellbeing.
Te Pāti Māori has argued that policies affecting Māori must be challenged through multiple avenues, including public submissions, community mobilisation, parliamentary pressure and political organising ahead of the election.
Tamihere says protest remains an important expression of Māori resistance, but it must sit alongside practical policy alternatives and the use of political power at the ballot box.
With the election approaching, he says Māori voters should closely examine which parties are prepared to protect Te Tiriti, invest in Māori-led solutions and shift resources toward communities rather than systems that continue to fail them.
The debate over move-on orders comes as public submissions remain open, giving whānau, community groups, youth organisations and Māori providers an opportunity to put their concerns directly before Parliament.
For Tamihere, the message is that Māori communities cannot afford to sit back while policies are developed that may deepen existing inequities.
He says real change will come when Māori voices, Māori providers and Māori political power are central to decisions affecting whānau futures.
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