Te Tai Tokerau candidate: Hone Harawira - Mana party

Mana leader Hone Harawira.

By Hone Harawira

Thirty years ago Labour started selling off our nation's assets and privatising government services like health, education, welfare and housing.

When National got in they carried it on - stripping services and support that people need to make it through the tough times.

Today we have massive unemployment, skyrocketing rent and power prices, a crisis in homelessness, 280,000 children living in poverty and 40,000 admitted to hospital every year, record levels of family and sexual abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, and deepening and unacceptable levels of poverty.

Mana says swapping the blue blanket for the red one won't change a bloody thing.

Mana is calling for a revolution in political thinking; a return to the days when people were more important than profit.

And we recommend starting out with some simple fix ups first, like:

Feed the Kids: Give every child a free breakfast and lunch at school every day. Whatever the problems of the parents, the kids shouldn't have to suffer.

House the Homeless: Labour and National want to build "affordable" houses, but Mana's focus is on building homes for low-income families which will help address a host of other social problems at the same time

Rebuild our communities: People have been unemployed too long - put them back to work rebuilding our communities: fixing up the marae, the school, community hall, neighbourhoods, community gardens etc. It worked in the 80's when unemployment was high. It's worse today.

Reboot the economy: Get Northlands MPs to take a case to government to invest $50 million in Tai Tokerau to help redress the economic desolation caused by their stupidity.

Renew our social commitment: And make government invest $50 million to help rebuild Māori communities in Taitokerau devastated by the arrogance and ignorance of failed planning, and beneficiary bashing.