2 x Articles - Maori & courts, Maori & housing

[Kiwi Frontline]

NEW JUDGE'S GOAL: FEWER MĀORI THROUGH COURTS AND IN PRISON

Māori lawyer from the Far North, La-Verne King, has been sworn in as the newest judge in the District Court.

Judge King, of Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa and Ngāti Paoa, wanted to share the day with students at Te Rangi Aniwaniwa in Kaitaia and opted to have her ceremony at the school hall, instead of the courthouse.

She said she is looking forward to bringing her understanding of te ao Māori to the judiciary.

Her appointment brings the number of Māori district court judges up to 20, out of a total of 160.

"I've chosen that setting because I think the justice system can learn a lot about how kura kaupapa operate.

"It is a really positive environment, it encourages Māori tamariki to be Maori. It encompasses te ao, te reo me ōna tīkanga.....

www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/390965/new-judge-s-goal-fewer-maori-through-courts-and-in-prison

[Kiwi Frontline]

MIND THE GAP

It’s no secret that Auckland has a housing crisis. Income growth hasn’t kept pace with either house price or rent increases in the city for more than two decades. The median house price has gone from roughly four times the median household income in 2002 to roughly nine times that amount today.

Though those trends have impacted every strata of society, Māori are disproportionately affected. Māori home ownership rates have dropped consistently for decades, and Māori are over-represented in Auckland’s homelessness statistics. They have borne the brunt of the crisis.

The Kāinga Strategic Action Plan is an attempt to address that disparity. The wide-ranging document, commissioned by the Independent Māori Statutory Board in May 2018, outlines a strategy for ending homelessness and increasing Māori participation in Auckland’s housing market.....

ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/articles/news/2019/06/mind-the-gap/