Te Runanga a Iwi o Ngāpuhi chairman Mane Tahere recently saw youth openly smoking methamphetamine on Kaikohe's main street, prompting him to ask for Government help.
Te Runanga a Iwi o Ngāpuhi chairman Mane Tahere recently saw youth openly smoking methamphetamine on Kaikohe's main street, prompting him to ask for Government help.
Ngāpuhi leaders hope strategies to solve the region’s methamphetamine crisis are only weeks away after meeting senior Government ministers and officials.
Tahere wrote the plea after observing youth in Kaikohe openly smoking a methamphetamine pipe in the main street during the day.
Tahere met with Mitchell, Māori Affairs Minister Tama Potaka, Resources and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and other senior departmental officials in Wellington on Wednesday.
Mitchell said he plans to travel to Northland to further meet with Ngāpuhi on strategies.
Police and Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell said police will work with Ngāpuhi and other Northland agencies to help arrest the methamphetamine crisis rocking the region.
He said the meeting resulted in a clear path forward, and police would work with iwi and other local leaders to address the problem.
“We have made a commitment to work together on a short, medium, and long-term plan to address the issue of methamphetamine in the community.”
Mitchell said working alongside communities was the start of creating meaningful change.
“Police have an important role but cannot do this on their own.”
Tahere was pleased iwi were being listened to and that a plan of action was being worked on.
“We cannot do this by ourselves and need the Government to help. All the evidence tells us that this [meth crisis] is only going to get worse, and I’m pleased that attention is being put on this.”
Wastewater testing recently showed meth use had tripled in Northland over the past year. Tahere said several months would pass before the harm from the increased use showed through in social, crime and mental health issues.
Te Runanga a Iwi o Ngāpuhi chairman Mane Tahere is looking forward to working with police and other government agencies to overcome Northland’s methamphetamine crisis.
Tahere said iwi, hapū, whānau and communities needed to take responsibility to help.
“We had genuine and real discussions with the Ministers and senior officials, and I expect that within a few weeks we will have some of those (plans and solutions) worked out.”
Tahere acknowledged that much of the meth was being dealt by Far North people, and the damage affected their own families and communities. He had messages for meth users or dealers:
“If you are on the P, please seek help. There are places here that will help you, and we want to help you.
“And if you are dealing this misery, get lost. We don’t want you doing this to our communities.”
With a population of about 4500, the rural town is in the heart of Northland, which has the unenviable title of the meth capital of New Zealand. Wastewater testing done for police shows 326g of meth was consumed per week in Northland.
Some groups in the town, such as the Kaikohe-based Whakaoranga Whānau Recovery Hub, Te Ara Oranga and the Salvation Army Bridge programme are trying to help, but Government intervention is wanted, including more police on duty in the town.
