- Kei nga manakura o te motu, rarau mai ki Te Hui. Ko Mihirangi tenei e mihi atu nei ki a koutou katoa. Welcome to The Hui ` Maori current affairs for all New Zealanders. E taro ake nei ` A whanau forced to live in a motel room for four years. - Oh, I feel like a failure. I feel like a failure to my family. - While, on the other side of town, homes sit vacant. - There's a massive waiting list for our social housing, and we've got empty houses that are just sitting. - We talk to whanau who are locked out of long-term accommodation in Gisborne's housing crisis. - How bad is it, in Gisborne? - Yeah, it's` It's really bad. - Then we meet the aspiring Maori millionaire helping whanau to become financially literate. - If we're able to reindigenise our whakaaro about how we live, then I think we can change our trajectory from living in poverty to living prosperous lives. Captions by Sally Harper. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2022 - Tahuti mai. my. Not enough state houses, rising rents, a global pandemic and a huge jump in building costs ` it's been a perfect storm for a housing crisis that we'd already been grappling with for years. For whanau unable to afford a private rental, it's a dire situation. I haere a Sarah Hall ki Turangi-nui-a-kiwa. - This is your whare. You've got four children sleeping in what should be a living room, tiny kitchen, two more children in there and yourselves. You know, there's eight of you in these really cramped conditions. It must be incredibly hard on you. - Oh, it is. - And you've been here for four years. - Yes. - Yes. - And what you were told was, kind of, 'Temporary accommodation.' - Yes. - Yeah. That's what we were told. - How has it made you guys, you know, feel? I mean... - Feels like we're at the bottom of society and we're being forgotten about. - Imagine what it's like to have hope that a whare to call your own is just around the corner. But day after day, month after month, year after year, you end up staring at four walls. Cheyenne Denham and Mohi Gerrard are among the thousands of New Zealanders who now call what was once a motel 'home', because there's nowhere else to house them. who now call what was once All of you on top of each other. - Yeah. - It must feel really stressful inside these walls. - It does. - It does. - This isn't the big city. This is Gisborne, a town where housing was once plentiful. The couple have been trying unsuccessfully to obtain a private rental, only to be told by prospective landlords their whanau is too big. How did you guys end up here in the first place? - Well, back in 2018, um... we got told that we had to move because the house was going up for sale. So we ended up calling Housing New Zealand. We were told that it was only emergency housing and that only be three months We were told that it was only emergency housing and and that we would be housed. - Mohi, what is it like for you, as a dad, seeing your tamariki grow up, living in these cramped conditions? - It breaks my heart, because I can see on their face a sadness, because of the living situation that we're in. - Cheyenne and Mohi's three older children didn't want to be filmed for our story ` embarrassed by their living conditions. - They're teenagers now. That kind of drove them away from us and... felt like we had lost their respect as parents, because they want their own space. They want to be able to bring friends over. - Does it just feel hopeless? - Does it just feel hopeless? - It does. - Oh, I feel like a failure. I feel like a failure to my family. I don't know what else to do. - Cheyenne and Mohi are far from alone in their struggle to find long-term housing. As of July, there were nearly 8300 people in emergency housing nationwide ` Almost half of them, tamariki. Emergency housing lasts for up to 21 days. Our whanau is in a transitional Emergency housing lasts for up to 21 days. Our whanau is in a transitional home, of which there are five and a half thousand ` 899 of them, motels. whanau with rooves over their heads, but no place to call home. What would the dream be for you and your whanau? - I'd just like to see our children have their own backyard. - Here at a local Gisborne Housing Advocacy Centre, these young wahine are trying to help each other get into homes. - So we're just here to walk alongside you and help you and make you aware that there is support out there. - It's prompted them to start Manaaki Moves ` a grassroots advocacy group working outside of government agencies. The group recently hit the headlines when it took direct action, helping a desperate whanau break into an empty Kainga Ora home. There's a massive waiting list for our social housing, and we've got empty houses that are just sitting. The mum involved, Levi Williams, says her whanau had no other choice after being cooped up in what had been a motel room for more than two years. So, with the help of some housing advocates, you guys actually had to break into a home. What, kind of, lead you to that? - Desperation. advocates, you guys actually had to break into a home. Just being sick of the environment we were in for two and a half years. It just... Yeah. They reached out to us, and I just saw that as a opportunity to a better future. - Levi and her whanau were quickly told to leave the Kainga Ora house, due to prior meth contamination. But instead of going back to the former motel, they were finally given their own place to live. But instead of going back to the It must feel amazing to have way more space. - Oh, yeah, Way better, especially for my kids. - And like over here, you've got your new bedroom for your daughter and son? - Yeah. They got their own room now, with their own beds. - Oh, awesome. (GASPS) Is that the first time (GASPS) Is that the first time they've had their own beds? - Yeah. (GASPS) Is that the first time - Share with your sister. - Good boy. - While it took a break-in to help the Williams whanau, 120 Gisborne families remain in emergency accommodation, and there are 510 transitional places in the region. And so what do you think of the other whanau who are left in that motel? - Oh, I feel sorry for them. I... if I could help them, I would. - One of those left behind is Te Rina Takarua. The mum of three has lived in the transitional former motel for more than two years with her three tamariki. What is it like for you, knowing that your children are growing up there? - Oh, it saddens me, really. You know, they can't really grow there, and yeah, it's sad to see my babies going through that. Yeah. and yeah, it's sad to see my babies - Is it stressful, having so many whanau living all in one place, all under stress at the same time? and yeah, it's sad to see my babies - Yes. No, it is. And it's also hard for me because, where I'm staying, I actually can't have family support. - What do you mean by that? You can't have family support? - Well, we're not allowed visitors or anything like that there. So, you know. - You're not allowed visitors? - No, we're not allowed visitors where I stay. - Kainga Ora says it's moved - Kainga Ora says it's moved 40 Gisborne whanau into new homes since 2020 and another 149 new homes are currently being built. But local housing advocate, Tuta Ngarimu, says the crisis is so bad, But local housing advocate, it would take at least 500 new homes to ease the pressure. You see whanau every day in need. How bad is it in Gisborne? - Yeah... It's` It's really bad. We're talking about years now. You know, nothing's really changed. It's getting worse. - One of the issues we're being told by agencies involved is, the reality is, there are no homes to transition them to. - That's right. That may be right. But in the meantime, we've got these whanau ` kids, babies that are sitting in these` in these boxes, just waiting for things to happen, and nothing's happening. No one's thinking about them. They're just sitting in these rooms, in these little rooms, trying to bring up their kids, waiting. - The organisation that runs the former motel in Gisborne, where our whanau live, told The Hui it was only ever meant to be for short-term accommodation. It says the issue is that with sky-high rents, whanau can't afford to leave and there's simply no state houses to move them into. That means the waiting game continues. The hope of one day moving into a whare of their own is still a distant dream. What do you hope for your tamariki in the future? - Well, I hope that they never have to go through this, and I hope we can, you know find us a house. And` And, yeah, never have to be in this predicament again, because it is hard. - We've stressed all the resources that we possibly could stress, and we have followed the advice of the system, that we should trust them, that it's going to work and we're going to get housed, but it doesn't work. Four years, just about, and we're still here today, in the same situation. - So what do you want New Zealanders to know about what whanau like yourselves are going through? - I want them to know that the system is failing everyone. Because why are we still here? It doesn't make sense. - Well, The Hui contacted the Ministry of Social Development about Cheyenne and Mohi's whanau of eight living in a one-bedroom unit. It said it didn't think the unit is suitable long-term accommodation for a large family and had offered the father a three-bedroom transitional house in June, which the family turned down. Cheyenne says they didn't want to move into a house offered, due to gang activity in the street. The ministry says there is a very high demand for public housing and limited supply. It adds it's particularly challenging for a family of eight, but will continue to work with Cheyenne and Mohi to find them suitable accommodation. Next, we discuss the opposition to the Oranga Tamariki Oversight Bill. A whanau forced to live in a motel room for four years. Despite widespread opposition, a controversial bill to change who monitors Oranga Tamariki and remove the Children's Commission has passed its third reading. Critics of the Oranga Tamariki Oversight Bill have accused the government of bulldozing it through Parliament, despite concerns from advocacy groups and state abuse survivors. To discuss the impacts of the proposed change, I'm joined via Zoom by state abuse survivor and advocate Paora Crawford Moyle, and award winning investigative journalist Aaron Smale. Tena korua. - Kia ora, Mihi. - Kia ora. - Just jump in to it straight away, Aaron, tell us, what is` what are the aspects of this bill that really concern you? that really concern you? - Well, if you look at the lack of consequences, the Royal Commission told the Royal Commission told the government that there` it should be legislated. That children in state custody should be` there should be legislation that they're free from abuse. And if that right is not upheld, then the state should be legally liable for it. Now, I questioned Carmel Sepuloni on those two points, she didn't even know what I was talking about. She had no idea. She hadn't read the report and hung up on me when I continued to question her on it. And I think that really` To cut to the chase, there's a lot of things that are wrong with it. But if you look at` Are there any consequences` If a child is harmed in state custody today, what are the consequences for the state? There are none, which is pretty much what has been going on for the last 50+ years. And so, that continues. And because there are no consequences, there's no deterrent, and there's no real incentive for the state to change its ways. And so, in my view, you've basically` the government has opened the gate to further abuse of children. Now, every survivor that I've spoken to has come forward to the Royal` that has come forward to the that has come forward to the Royal Commission, has done so for a number of reasons, but one of the main reasons but one of the main reasons is that they don't want it to happen to another child, what happened to them. - Correct. - And yet, this legislation will basically` has basically ignored survivors and many other people. And you're going to see further headlines that, basically, are about children being harmed in state custody. - And, Paora, you know, the Children's Commission and the Commissioner have been very vocal about abuse in state care. This bill looks to remove that. What are you` are you concerned about that? - Oh, God yeah. We all are. Every survivor who comes forward and has a voice about this concern,... you know, it was really forced through, it happened over Christmas, supposedly, when everybody was going to be Christmas-focussed, 400 submissions against` I mean, for, and only eight submissions were for the bill ` it overwhelmingly says that we` we are not in an agreement with it. This is the Children's Commissioner. They've taken the Children's Commissioner away, and that has huge consequences. That was easier to do than actually That was easier to do than actually to match what it is that Aaron's just been talking about. I think` I think when you take something that has worked so well for our babies inside the system ` you know, just remember, these are children, these are vulnerable people, often locked away in residences ` when you take that away and replace that with something that has no real oversight And let me just say that Andrew Becroft has done an amazing job and also his counterpart, his Maori counterpart ` and his team produced 15 reports that were so to the bone about what was really going on with children inside state and faith-based care. That` particularly the residences ` that they were buried. They didn't come into the light of day. And the only reason that they` those 15 reports came out into the public arena was under OIA, the Official Information Act ` pulled them out into the light of day and we've got to see the truth, the recommendations and the actual harm that is just being perpetrated on these children and young people, mainly in residences. Now that's` These are human rights abuses against these children and this country needs to wake up to what is happening, that it is not over. It is still happening today. - Uh, Aaron, Judge` As Paora said, Judge Becroft has been, you know, highly critical at times and actually lead the charge on behalf of tamariki in state care. What is the bill hoping to replace it with? - Well, (CLEARS THROAT) it would take an age to explain that, because nobody can` I mean, I spoke to Sonia Cooper, who represents a lot of survivors, and she said it was such a shambles that it should have just been binned. It fragments the whole It fragments the whole accountability and monitoring of what's happening in` you know, to children and state care across a number of agencies. And, you know, some of the arguments are just completely spurious, as to why they're doing that. And it just` it's inexplicable. You've got, as Paora said, there were 400 submissions against it. Now, these are organisations and people who know this issue backwards, who've got decades of experience. You've got every other political party has come out against it. You've had so many organisations and individuals have expressed their opposition and it's just, as I say, inexplicable that the Government has pushed it through. The only explanation that I can come up with ` I've got a cat in the background ` is that it is being driven by bureaucrats who are leading ministers down this path that is about protecting the institutions. that is about protecting It's not about protecting children. And some of the people that are right at the top of the bureaucracy in a number of government in a number of government departments are actually responsible for the failures of the past, in a number of government and yet, they've been handed the pen to write the solution. Well, that just isn't viable. You cannot have the people who screwed it up in the first place offering the solution. They don't even know what the problem is. They are the problem, actually. And when you've got the people who are the problem trying to fix it, that's just backwards. - When you consid` - Um, and` Sorry. - When you consid` sorry, When you consider, Paora, that, you know, when this government first came into power, When you consider, Paora, that, some of the survivors were just really happy. The former` Well, she wasn't the prime minister at the time, but the now Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, called a Royal Commission of Inquiry. Could you have believed that you would be here this, you know, a few years on, and what needs to happen now? - Oh, well, that's a huge question. I was a part of a whole raft of people that were out there at the front line asking for change, calling for a Royal Commission. And there's a lot of work that went into calling` We were really happy. We were stoked. And there were lots of problems, like, initially, that it was 'state', and then they bought in 'faith' and now they seem to be separating that out. That's a $200 million Royal Commission. It's very theatrical. My view is it's very theatrical, very out there, justifying the cost. It's` It's` I don't think that we are as happy, now, as we were when we first heard that Jacinda Ardern had said, 'Yes, let's have a Royal Commission.' And my hat's off to all of those that participated in making that happen. But here we are today. We've got the Oranga Tamariki Bill being rushed through, forced through, which completely contradicts the findings of the Royal Commission. So we` For example, when you have` One person... and I was at the, sitting in the Royal Commission Institutional hearings last week, Institutional hearings last week, and I can remember one person saying, about the Oranga Tamariki Bill, 'Will faith-based children be monitored in their settings under this bill?' And the chap says, 'No. No, they won't be. Perhaps we should look into that 'a little bit more.' What's that saying? Just` just as Aaron was saying, it's... just been kind of thrown together. It's not been thought out. It's been rushed through, and it is not for the children. It is not for the agencies` - We're going to` we're going to keep on top of this kaupapa. We're going to keep supporting, you know, your korero to those that need to hear. I want to thank you` - I'll hold you to that. - Thank you for your time. Tena korua. And actually, tena koutou ` your cat too, Aaron, who joined us for this interview. And actually, tena koutou ` your cat All the best, thank you. - OK, kia ora. Next` Next we meet the wahine behind Maori Millionaire. a Maori millionaire. But for Te Kahukura, it is not just about her own personal wealth. She also wants all whanau to be financially literate so they can thrive. Kei a D'Angelo tenei purongo. - Ko Te Kahukura Boyton toku ingoa. I'm 18 years old and I study law at the University of Waikato. I guess from a young age, I've always had this passion about putea. I read the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad when I was eight and other finance books growing up. There are two ways you can make money with stocks. The first one is called capital gains. - Te Kahukura Boynton is on a mission to get rangatahi thinking about their putea. - As indigenous people, it is part - As indigenous people, it is part of our culture to improve things and be creative with the resources we do have. And that's all that I'm trying to do is, you know, be creative about generating income, be creative about making money, be creative about protecting our money and being kaitiaki for our putea. - According to an overview report - According to an overview report from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the median weekly income for Maori is $1,020, which is less than the median weekly income for all ethnic groups. This puts Maori at a disadvantage. - Money is just a resource, and without money you can't see a doctor, you can't go to school, you can't do so many things. You can't be warm and you can't be healthy and get good kai. you can't do so many things. - At just 18 years old, Kahukura has a net worth of 20k. How do you manage your putea? - I always live below my means. So, whatever income I have, I have to make sure that my expenses are below this. The second most important thing is to always be working on increasing my income, whether that be through side hustles whether that be through side hustles or negotiating pay rates at work or whatever it may be. I'm really happy to be here and I'm really happy to be talking to you guys today. So thank you all for coming. Her pakihi is called Maori Millionaire and today is Kahukura's debut workshop about finance held here at Community Waitakere, West Auckland. In terms of Maori Millionaire, my goal is to share this with other people. - Why Maori Millionaire? - I get that question a lot and I don't know the real answer, but I think there's this general idea that being a millionaire is the goal, in all of these books that I've read, and the thing that was left out of them was this indigenous person, or this indigenous millionaire, that I wanted to look up to, I wanted to see in media and things like that, which I couldn't find. This is my portfolio at the moment. We are naturally entrepreneurs, and so, even back in the day, we would trade, you know, kai, mara kai, for meat and things like that. And so, if we're able to re-indigenise our whakaaro about how we live, then I think we can change our trajectory from being living in poverty to living prosperous lives. So if you have some in Kiwisaver, some in Sharesies, some in an emergency fund, and, you know, some in your house, then it's going to reduce risk for you. Lots of millionaires have totally different sources of income, whether that's rental income, your job, stocks, so capital gains and dividends and things like that. Businesses, too. My mission is to be able to create passive income so that I can cover my expenses and then that will give me freedom to do whatever I want. So whether that be spending more time on kaupapa that, you know, matter to me or matter to my whanau, um, that's the true purpose or true goal for me. I've received a lot of diverse feedback about Maori Millionaire. The positive feedback, of course, is that we` this area for Maori to grow regarding putea is really needed. But on the other hand, I've had negative feedback that this goal to strive for wealth is not indigenous and it's not Maori and it's a colonised whakaaro. That's why I called my presentation today 'Reclaiming Rangatiratanga', because this is` like, that was our life, but it got stolen from us. - Why are you so passionate about putea? - I guess it's about, you know, the impacts that not having putea has on Ngai Maori. You can see it, you know. When you see people outside shops begging, they're` most of them are Maori or PI, and so it's really sad to see. Being educated and good health, which is something I'm working on, being filled by kai from the whenua, being filled by kai from the whenua, having time and experiences, like travelling. These are things, to me, that mean wealth. You know, in so many different circumstances, it's Maori who are suffering and I just think it's` it's not fair, you know. We once were really prosperous. We had a thriving economy with really good trading systems. And we` we had tohunga who would teach us things. And we were, you know, academically and educationally thriving in Aotearoa. And we were, you know, But due to colonisation, we're not now. I've actually never found a book that has said how to become rich quickly or overnight or, you know, anything, and if it is, it's a scam. I've been doing this kaupapa for a while now, of investing my money, and I'm not a millionaire yet. But if we're able to do small things every day, consistently, then we're going to be able to have a positive future. I like this quote, it's like, 1% wiser today 1% smarter, 1% wealthier, 1% healthier. And if we're able to do that every single day, then that's going to be a really positive future. - Kua hikina Te Hui e hoa ma. Noho ora mai ra. Captions by Sally Harper. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2022