It is pretty disappointing when someone rips into a good initiative for Māori. In Tauranga ex-MP bob the builder clarkson is having a go at some excellent much needed housing for Māori. The initiative is great but bob shows his real agenda and it is one we have seen many times before. But first the initiative
The community housing project at Mangatawa Marae was officially formalised in July 2010, with stage one of the project, 16 small homes for kuia and kaumatua (elderly), completed last year.
The project's next stage involves 12 three- to five-bedroom family homes built and infrastructure for eight more.
The 12 houses will have affordable rents, calculated by the tenant's income and the last eight will be kaianga whenua, or personally owned.
When the project is finished there will be 36 houses in the Papakainga housing project.
We need so much more of this community housing. It is the way of the future - live near each other in housing suitable for purpose with shared areas and community areas. The money has come from a grant
It is great that there is dedicated finance for this although obviously the amounts should be much much more to really make a difference and alleviate suffering. Now bob has started off on the wrong footIt has come from Putea Maori, a $13 million capital grant fund available to Maori for the purpose of increasing affordable rental housing. Putea Maori is part of the Social Housing Unit, which has set aside $104 million during three years (2012-15) to help people get good quality homes through community housing.
"It's bloody lovely. I've got nothing against Maori but...It's always the but isn't it? It doesn't occur to this dim that it is not the fault of Māori that they were able to secure funding dedicated to that purpose. They should be praised not attacked. Bob then rants on about how it should be open to all and so on but really it is about his pet project being rejected - he is bitter.
But Mr Clarkson said it was not fair for one section of the community to be eligible for funds when many in the wider population also suffered.
The city council last year "shot down" his plan to provide 1000 affordable homes for $280,000 each. Everyone should be able to access affordable housing, no matter what colour their skin was, he said.
and there he gives us the whole picture - skin colour. People like clarkson are insidious in their racism - it's all pretend, pretend, pretend whammy! pretend, pretend ad nauseaum - it is an old game and relatively successful which is why it is so common. You can't argue with these people or rather there is no point because they cannot be truthful and honest, they prefer to hide and pretend. But the truth comes out obliquely, they slip and they say things as clarkson has above. There are many people who think like clarkson, hell we know some of them and the online poll shows currently
Ridiculous. This should be available to non-Maori, too 83%
It's fair. It's much harder for Maori to afford a home 17%
Nice that stacked question isn't it not? Just more of the same. Meanwhile the houses are getting built for Māori and that is a great effort. Kia kaha.
