SCHEME FOR SPECIAL AREAS

Te Ao Hou, December 1956, Page 57

SCHEME FOR SPECIAL AREAS Over the last year, the Department of Maori Affairs has started similar housing drives in quite a number of areas. In a few cases, such as Katikati, there had been press publicity, but in most there had not. The areas in which these special drives are made are those where a compact Maori group lives in comparative isolation, where living conditions by and large are very poor and where there is little or no incentive to social and economic progress. In such areas there are hardly any people who would approach the department of their own accord to ask for new houses and yet it is there that the houses are most needed. The department has over the last year made a survey of such difficult areas. Most of them are old kainga where the land title position is often confused and where not a great many people live at present. The survey pinpointed 42 areas, but the total number of people living there was only 4,000 or 3% of the Maori people. Nothing was ever done without the fullest discussion with the people. At Ratana, Ngongotaha and Katikati, 36 houses were built and a further 13 are planned for early construction under this scheme. In many other areas, building has started but the urgency of this work is not allowed to interfere unduly with the ordinary building programme. The immediate aim is to build at least one or two houses in each of the areas if interested clients can be found. Usually the building of such sample houses breaks down any resistance other people in the same pa may have against the scheme. Generally, the people for whom houses have been built, have responded well in clearing sections and laying out gardens for their new homes. Although the total population of these old settlements is comparatively small, the social effect of the scheme will, it is thought, be deep and widespread. Talking about sheep. These fine stud rams belong to Mr Wallace Tako, Ruatoria. (Photograph: J. Ashton.)