Drug use and trafficking in Northland, as well as other crimes, are having an impact on the region's older residents, local leaders say. Photo / 123rf
Northland’s older generation have become collateral damage in the region’s battle with crime.
Community leaders say the fallout from methamphetamine use and wider crime is leaving the region’s older generation suffering in silence.
A recent ministerial report described organised crime as the “common enemy” and said a multi-pronged solution was required.
Te Rūnanga a Iwi o Ngāpuhi chairman Mane Tahere said of the many symptoms associated with organised crime, abuse and isolation of kuia and kaumātua troubled him.
“What’s been a real concern is if that’s how bad it is in the public eye, you can only imagine what’s happening in the homes and valleys,” Tahere said.
“Often I’ve been talking to kaumātua in the valleys. They feel isolated.”
Tahere said violence might erupt in multi-generational homes when family members were on the comedown from drug use.
Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi said elderly people sometimes used isolation as a tactic to protect themselves.
She said some might be stuck in a “power and control” dynamic with whānau members.
“It’s not a single moment, or a single act. It’s a cluster of things that, when they all come together, it can completely shut you out of any sense of belonging and function.”
Grey Power Northland director Bruce Crowther said some elderly people were also falling victim to financial abuse from family members.
“I’m aware of less digitally skilled older people who get ripped off by their younger relatives,” he said.
The loss of freedom also concerned Charitable Trust Grandparents Raising Grandchildren’s Tatum McKay.
She spoke anecdotally of children being raised by their grandparents because of absent parents or parents who were unable to care for their children properly.
Their membership had been steadily growing since 2018, with 524 members in Northland alone last year.
More than 80% of members self-referred, and 45% had grandchildren involved with Oranga Tamariki.
She said it was “reasonably common” for grandchildren to end up with their grandparents due to parents being involved in drugs, whether addicted or selling them.
McKay said there were also instances of grandparents stepping up for children or children-in-law who were in prison.
“There’s often a lot of shame in finding themselves in circumstances where they’re having to step in,” she said.
“Isolation is a big one, you’re at a time of life where your peers have more time for themselves and they don’t necessarily want someone coming along with kids.”
Many grandparents raising their grandchildren were faced with navigating complex and stressful cases.
A high amount of trauma sometimes followed the children.
McKay said some parents not happy with the arrangement might turn up under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and threaten the grandparents.
Those not directly impacted by crime were nevertheless anxious also.
Crowther believed the older generation were taking precautions they would not have needed to take 20 years ago.
In bygone days, he used to take his dog for a walk late at night but he said he wouldn’t think of doing that now.
Fears about safety had crept into other ordinary tasks.
“Standing at an ATM you’re very aware that you’re standing with your back to the footpath,” Crowther said.
“We don’t normally become the victims of crime, but we are more cautious not to put ourselves in a position where crime would find us.”
In terms of wider issues, he claimed older people had been injured by riders on dirt bikes or bicycles or were having to put up with constant noise from motorbikes.
“I think it would be fair to say that it’s mostly an annoyance rather than a threat.
“But if you stuck your nose in, the threats would be forthcoming, of that I have no doubt.”
Kapa-Kingi said a lot of older people also worried about petty crime.
“If [their] car gets stolen, they lose their independence.”
On the streets of Kaikohe, residents spoke of an increased police presence that had them feeling safer.
But some said that despite the increased presence of police, daily issues such as antisocial behaviour by road users were still arising.
One person, who did not want to be identified, said there had been a time when it seemed “a lot of drugs” were around.
Drug deals had happened in front of playgrounds, they claimed.
“It was hard on us, watching that happen. I was terrified of it all.”
They were particularly concerned for elderly people living in “fairly unsafe” neighbourhoods.
“I was constantly locked in my unit. I’m still paranoid.”
Another woman said she felt intimidated by dirt bikes going up and down the roads during the day.
In Dargaville, older residents expressed less concern for their safety or awareness of crime.
Many lived in the surrounding rural settlements so didn’t notice if there had been any surges in crime.
In Whangārei, John, who did not want his surname used, said he also lived in a rural area where people look after each other.
However, he had been thinking about getting CCTV at his home for added protection.
“I came from a generation where we didn’t lock our doors. You’ve got to be careful.”
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.