NUMA Opens Doors for Hone Harawira

Former MP Hone Harawira joined forces with the National Urban Maori Authority after being largely ignored by Iwi and local Social Service providers.

The Mana Party leader and Kaitaia-based ANT Trust executive, told Radio Waatea 603am host Dale Husband, he approached NUMA executives Willie Jackson and John Tamihere after a programme he devised to support whanau in Kaitaia fell on deaf ears.

“The truth is they (local providers) weren’t particularly interested so I thought if that’s your attitude good luck to you,” Hone said.

“I ran into Willie and JT and they said to me, ‘how can we help’ which started the relationship between the ANT Trust and NUMA.”

On Tuesday, Hone launched his Open the Curtains campaign in Kaitaia.

“We want to open the curtains and let the sun shine in,” Hone said.

The plan is to visit every home in west Kaitaia in a bid to uplift whanau, who sit inside with their curtains drawn most days.

The Trust team would make an initial assessment of the whanau’s needs, including helping mothers budgets and do their best to ‘‘get the brothers off the couch by helping gather kai, tidy neighbours lawns and sections, painting houses and taking pride in their communities.

Hone said the Trust – who have been part of the community since the 1980s - also wanted to get unemployed Maori men into work schemes so they were working every day to improve their skills.

The Trust aims to help communities reduce their benefit dependency. It planned to introduce whanau to one another so they would look out for and care for one another.

ANT Trust is the newest member of NUMA and joins Whanau Waipareira, Manukau Urban authority, Whangarei’s He Puna Marama, Waikato’s Te Kohao Health and Te Roopu Awhina ki Porirua

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