Housing Corp. accused of paternalism, racism

Press, 27 June 1987, Page 4

Housing Corp. accused of paternalism, racism

The Housing Corporation has been accused by the deputy chairman of the Ngaitahu Maori Trust Board, Mr Rakiihia Tau, of exhibiting paternalism and racism through recent moves to improve its services for Maori people.

Mr Tau said the corporation’s report on the housing circumstances of Maori people and the work of the corporation in meeting their needs did not appear to be working towards that which the Maori most, needed — pride and independence. For that to be achieved it would be necessary to change Government legislation which restricted Maori people from building freely on partitions of multiple-owned land, he said.

"That legislation forced us out of rural areas into urban areas where we struggled to live. Now it is called a Maori problem but it is not a Maori problem at all. The problem lies with legislation/’ he said. The . legislation contained in the Town and Country Planning Act did not recognise Maori culture or the status of land within Maori society, he said.

“When the Housing Corporation speaks of an increase of lending to rural Maori families and its efforts to work more closely with the Maori community it is being paternalistic and does not recognise our need for independence.”

Mr Tau said there was nothing wrong with the

corporation’s efforts to employ people who could speak the Maori language and the implementation of language and cultural sessions for its staff. "But I don’t know what that has got to do with buying a house — the fact is, you have either got the money or you haven’t.” The corporation was right when it said it was a big landlord for Maori families but that* was because Maori people were lower-income earners, he said. /.

“It gets back to the same thing — what we need is our own land and our ability to build on it how and when we choose. That is how the Government should go about recognising our culture, by giving us back our independence.”