Emily Henderson: We need community-led solutions that are centrally supported

From left: Cancer Society Northland manager Jenni Moore, Whangārei District Councillor Carol Peters, and Emily Henderson. Photo / supplied

OPINION

Some problems are too complex to solve easily. Getting from where you are now to where you want to be requires a multi-faceted approach and clear strategic thinking. So on Saturday, it was great to be in Raumanga working on plans for community development with local residents, community leaders, various government agencies and local government.

Over the last year, I've been talking to people in Raumanga about their concerns for their community and this hui was something they encouraged me to hold. In our recent survey of Whangarei residents, 23 per cent of Raumanga locals highlighted "community safety" as among their biggest issues, compared to Whangārei residents overall citing "health and well-being".

Even though well-being and safety are intrinsically linked, this shows how even within one city, our daily struggles can be quite different. It also paints a bigger picture about resourcing and reform by both central and local government: fair isn't about giving everyone the same thing - fair is giving everyone what they need. However, imposing ideas about what is needed is not the answer. Communities know what they need. As Chantelle Armstrong, chair of the Roopu, said, what's needed are solutions that are "community-led and centrally supported." On Saturday we were there to offer that central support.

For instance, while there has been a significant reduction in youth offending over the past decade, there has also been a recent spike in dangerous driving in Raumanga - including two recent deaths of young motorcyclists. The police have done good work on this, recently forming a special unit to address the problem, and it was great news when just last week police executed five warrants and seized 10 dirt bikes in and around the area.

Police area commander Whangārei/Kaipara Marty Ruth took part in the Raumanga community hui alongside locals. Photo / supplied

Further progress will need stronger ties between community and police, and the police leaders present were committed to developing those relationships, which was fantastic.

Since coming into government we've invested heavily in law and order, increasing police numbers to record numbers including here in Whangārei. We're on track to reach our goal of an additional 1800 officers by the end of the year - six months ahead of schedule - and in Budget 2022 we invested another $562 million over four years so that we will have one officer for every 480 citizens, compared to one for every 548 under the previous government.

More police alone won't solve the problems driving offending behaviour, so the Government is also undertaking a broader programme focusing on the causes of child and youth offending and building upon the success of existing early intervention programmes.

We are also working on repairing the gap that developed between some young people and their schools over Covid, with a new truancy programme encouraging them back off the streets and into classrooms.

But there is other "central support" that might not seem so obviously connected to safety. Government Ministries like the Department of Internal Affairs support community development with funding and mentoring programmes. After all, real change requires more than focusing on the problems, it needs a sense of the possibilities too: the community we want as well as what we want to avoid.

Members of the Raumanga community discussed potential solutions to issues within their area, such as dangerous driving on dirt bikes. Photo / supplied

That is where Raumanga's long-term, committed community activists (and some passionate newbies) make all the difference, because out of their love for their community comes a vision of what it could be.

The job of people like me is to get behind people like them, and that is exactly what we're doing.