February 04, 2016
Housing plan threat to communities
Labour’s urban Maori spokesperson Peeni Henare says Social Housing minister Paula Bennett’s plan to cut Auckland’s state house waiting list shows a disturbing ignorance about the way communities work.
Ms Bennett wants to offer people on the list a cash inducement if they accept housing in other parts of the country.
Mr Henare says she should support communities, not break them up.
"When you pluck the plinth of the flax bush ne ! that korero hutia te rito o te harakeke, where will the Bellbird sing. If you remove people from their whanau environment or a community that they have known for a long time, you'll find there are potential problems later on down the line when those people aren't able to tap into the support networks, to have the guiding hand of whanau to help them on their journey," he says.
Peeni Henare says just as urbanisation created problems for Maori society, Paula Bennett's deurbanisation would also be disruptive.
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