Letters: Maori must be solution to their own problems

Police in Rotorua after an alleged gang shooting on Saturday. Photo/File

I refer to the question by your paper to our local politicians re gangs (April 25).

Todd McClay says National is to spend $500 million for 1000 more police and looks forward to police putting gangs into prison.

NZ First's Fletcher Tabuteau blames National's lack of funding for police as a reason for the perceived gang problems.

Labour candidate for Waiariki Tamati Coffey says investing in more police will keep our streets safe.

MP for Waiariki Te Ururoa Flavell does not mention police, identifies problem areas but offers no solutions.

Government policies of the past 40 years have in my view deprived Maori of employment opportunities and lowered wages and conditions of those who manage to find work, all of which has a knock-on effect to their wider whanau and creates many social problems.

If governments want to eliminate Maori problems, Maori must be seen to be the solution rather than the problem. Government must encourage Maori to develop their own local self government, accept the problems and devise a Maori way to address and eliminate them. Legislation has been in place for 50 years to allow this process to happen but no government has provided funding, believing instead that a Pakeha-devised solution to a Maori problem is best. How wrong they have been.

S.N. JORY
Rotorua

Debt before vanity projects

The idea of two statues for our City Focus, Hinemoa and Tutanekai, certainly has more "Rotorua flavour" than the $500,000 contraption planned for the end of Old Taupo Rd. However, it would be so much more prudent to halve our rising debt of about $170m. Until then all those vanity projects should never get past the dreaming stage.

HARRY BRASSER
Rotorua.