Ki te riu o Waikato, e rangirua ana ngā whakaaro o ngā iwi kāinga i te whakatau a te kāwanatanga ki te hanga i tētahi whareherehere hōu ki Waikēria. E ono rau moenga te nui o te whare ka whakatūria hei whakamarumaru i te nui o ngā mauhere e renarena ana i Aotearoa.
“In my opinion there is no greater risk to the future of Maori, than the increasing incarceration of our people,” i mea atu te Minita Ara Poutama o Aotearoa, hei tā Kelvin Davis. “It is of utmost importance that government work with whanau, hapu and iwi to face this challenge together.”
Ā, e tautoko ana a Ngāti Raukawa i tēnei whakatau.
“The engagement actually has been very good so to their credit I need to acknowledge that,” i kī atu te heamana o Te Poari Whakataunga o Raukawa a Vanessa Eparaima.
“We really took the approach to work ourselves through in the best way possible to get the best outcomes through, through the resouce management.”
Wheoi, engari anō tēnā ki a Ngāti Maniapoto.
I mea mai te hemana o te Poari Māori o Ngāti Maniapoto, a Tiwha Bell, ki Te Kāea, tē taea e ia te kōrero mō te take nei i te mea, kīhai rātou i whai wāhi ki ngā whakaritenga mō te whareherehere hōu, ka mutu, kāore anō te kāwanatanga kia kōrero ki a rātou.
“The decision that's been made by Minister Davis, I think it's a very good one,” i kōrero atu a Eparaima.
“It's a decision where it looks at the issues, and the additional hundred beds more mental health facilities is a good way to go.”
Kotahi rau tau te pakeke o te whareherehere o runga ake ki Waikera.
“The yards are like animal cages. It was first designed 100 years ago and isn't fit for purpose for either staff or prisoners,” e mea atu a Davis.
Engari ko te māhere hōu a te kāwanatanga ināianei kia hanga i tētehi whareherehere hōu e rima rau ngōna moenga me tētehi whare āhuru whakaora i ngā mauhere mate wairua.
“Like I said at the beginning,” i kī atu a Davis, “I didn't come into this role to cover up the cracks with band aids.”
Wheoi e kaha haere ake ana te whakahē i te whareherehere hōu me tētehi tū porotēhi ki waho o te whare pāremata, nā te rōpū kōkiri, People Against Prisons Aotearoa i karanga, ā tērā wiki, ā te Tūrei.