Mana | Movement of the People

Housing Assurances won’t stop destruction of a community

MANA says assurances it was able to extract from Housing NZ today do nothing to reassure the people of Glen Innes about the future of their families and their community.

MANA candidate for Tamaki Makaurau Pene Kereama who organised a demonstration by more than 200 residents and MANA supporters against Housing NZ plans to reclaim 156 state houses in the Auckland Eastern suburb and replace them with just 78 for state tenants says an assurance that no one will have to move from the area means diddly squat.

Housing NZ can only say they hope to be able to accommodate everyone affected but already families have moved out of Glen Innes after feeling pressured that they had no other options but to leave the suburb. This is an abuse of these families and the local community.

At a meeting with HNZ representatives today local residents sought an absolute guarantee every family would be able to remain in GI in their local neighbourhood. This request is to be sent to the Minister of Housing Phil Heatly.

“Three years ago the affected state tenants were guaranteed places in their renovated houses or in the neighbourhood but this has now been withdrawn because there will not be enough new houses to accommodate them. The Housing Minister would prefer to ship them out to places in South Auckland as it creates more than 170 houses for the private sector.

Some residents have seen it all before Some were relocated from places like Freemans Bay in Central Auckland 40 years ago to make way for the rich and they don’t want GI to become another Ponsonby where only the wealthy can afford to live.’”

Already Housing New Zealand has earmarked the places with the best views for wealthy private houses. Apparently the poor are not allowed to enjoy decent harbor views even if they have lived in their house for decades.

“The people of Glen Innes expressed gratitude to Mana for standing beside them.

Mr Minto says MANA believes in State Housing which is why the party is advocating building 20,000 new state homes in the next two years throughout the country creating work and job training at the same time.

“But here in Glen Innes we see the absolute reverse approach where National is pulling down State houses, destroying a vibrant community in the process and only replacing half of them, with the rest plus a 100 additional new houses handed over to their private sector mates.

“It will mean that Maori, Pacific islander and other minority families who can afford the rents here now will face higher rentals and have to move to unfamiliar areas area where they won’t have the support structures built up over many years in this suburb created by governments with kind of vision this government will never have.”

For further information:
Kereama Pene 021 2011204 or
John Minto 021 447067