Numbers of Māori waiting for homes grows

With the number of Māori households waiting for homes increasing by more than 20 per cent in the past year, it's time the Māori Party admits its support of the Government's state house sell-off has made life worse for whānau, Labour's MP for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti Meka Whaitiri says.

'At the end of June, there were 1648 Māori or whānau waiting for homes on the Social Housing Register. This is 100 more than the previous quarter and a whopping increase of 21 per cent on the 1355 Māori wanting to be housed last June.

'In the Māori Development Minister and Māori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell's own Waiariki electorate, there are 422 people or households waiting for homes – 261 of those in very serious need.

'Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox, in late 2014, called National's plans to sell off state houses ‘disappointing' and an abdication of Government responsibility. Yet just three months later, the Māori Party changed its mind and voted with National to flog them off.

'It was a disgraceful move, especially in the middle of a housing crisis.

'Māori homeownership has plummeted and more and more whānau are in desperate housing situations. The Māori Party's support of National has harmed our people.

'Labour has a comprehensive plan to tackle the problem. We will build more affordable homes. We'll end National's state house sell-off and stop using Housing NZ as a cash cow. And whānau camping in cars or in garages will be helped into temporary accommodation through extra funding to emergency housing providers,” says Meka Whaitiri.

SOURCE: Office of Meka Whaitiri

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11 comments

Reasons?

Posted on 28-07-2016 17:43 | By Crash test dummies

have little to do with house sell offs by HNZ, the most serious issue is the nature and behavior of some tenants as a result no private sector landlord will risk taking on a tenat who is less than financially sound, not reliable and so on, the costs are huge when it all goes wrong and the landlord somehow as usual ends up with the bills and blame. The current results are not then unexpected. The solution ... who knows.


What about Non-Maori

Posted on 29-07-2016 07:33 | By flyingtoaster

This article makes it sound like the only people affected by the housing crisis are Maori. This problem is not a Maori problem, it is a New Zealand problem. I don't see why Maori feel the need to single themselves out as the ones being hard done by.


Overit

Posted on 29-07-2016 09:07 | By overit

Get building your own houses on your land.Do some developments yourself.


@ flyingtoaster

Posted on 29-07-2016 11:43 | By Crash test dummies

It is a simple case of self gratification from the "oh poor me ...help me ..." physic mind set.


@ Overit

Posted on 29-07-2016 11:44 | By Crash test dummies

So true, all the land that could ever be needed for free, all the money for nothing and still the hand is out for more and blaming any and all others simply to get more for free.


Less garages

Posted on 29-07-2016 11:55 | By Crash test dummies

Means need more houses. Listening to a news item last week, people are renting garages, that helps the rental situation of course but they are being thrown out, isn't that just making a bad situation worse. Would you rather live in a garage or a car?


??

Posted on 29-07-2016 12:03 | By sunny

I agree with Overit there's heaps of Maori Land around in all area's why don't they do some thing with that and get people to help build, but make sure they look after the house and not use it like pigs,so keep an eye on their Rentals.


Support your own people

Posted on 30-07-2016 11:49 | By flyingtoaster

Maori have the land, iwi's have the $$. How about iwi support their own people, rather than plying for sympathy from the rest of New Zealanders. Am i wrong in believing Maori have hundreds of thousands of hectares of "Maori land", that just sits there, growing gorse?? Also, with Maori land, there are no rates, no requirement for building consents, or mining rights.


Not just a Maori problem

Posted on 30-07-2016 12:07 | By Cydifor

A few years ago when my husband worked in a large government department, he was responsible for checking the condition of houses used by workers. Some were disgusting with holes in walls, filthy kitchens and bathrooms, unmown lawns and untended gardens etc. On leaving their jobs these people would then go on to be tenants to some poor unknowing landlord to clean up after them. Some people are simply unable to be tenants due to their lifestyle. The ones featuring in the media all appear to be responsible decent people although I do have an issue with any solo mother who has up to 10 children - if you can't feed, house or clothe them, don't breed them.


Treaty Payouts

Posted on 30-07-2016 20:55 | By carpedeum

Well here it is - the time for the Treaty $s to actually be used for the benefit of the grass roots Maori in need.I will watch with great interest


Carpedeum

Posted on 31-07-2016 10:35 | By overit

Good luck with that mate. Its what we would all like to see.


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