Source: Radio New Zealand
The fuel crisis has left a feeling of anxiety among Māori communities who do not know how much fuel is in their rohe, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says.
Ngarewa-Packer, the party’s energy spokesperson, sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Mata host Mihingarangi Forbes and said while tikanga-led covid-19 responses proved Māori were resilient, planning a response for the fuel crisis was difficult without the most up to date information.
She said that was particularly evident in her rohe of Te Tai Hauāuru.
“We have large rural communities that don’t have public transport. We have pockets of hauora, pockets of main hospitals where whānau have to travel to for treatment to even see GPs.
“We have whānau that have to transport their tamariki to kura because there aren’t buses available. Day to day living here is extremely reliant on the ability to mobilise…. at the same time, we have a large proportion of our community, especially that have been wanting to transition away from fossils, who have been fighting seabed mining for years and have been pushing for alternative solutions in our infrastructure – they’re not seeing the alternative solutions coming.”
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. (File photo) RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Ngarewa-Packer sent a letter to the government requesting a cross-party committee on energy security and cost of living mitigation – a letter she said was ignored.
“A couple of days after, MBIE reached out and the Prime Minister’s Office reached out to give us a brief on what it is that they know we’re doing, but, of course, it’s not in real time,” she said.
“Even the data that we get on the supply of fuel… Monday’s data was from Wednesday midnight [and] yesterday’s data was from Sunday so it was lip service.”
She said the committee would have been a chance for the government to put aside their political differences and come up with proactive and pre-emptive responses to the crisis.
“What’s really concerning is that this is a government that hasn’t had a great relationship with Māori, with our communities, and has created some real harm.
“What it would look like is an inclusive response and that’s what we’re really pushing for and just get over each other’s politics and actually think about our communities that are going to be hurt the most.”
Ngarewa-Packer said whānau in the region should begin their rationing fuel on their own.
“We should be applying our own manāki, our own rangatiratanga and mana motuhake in how we do this.
“I’m seeing it already, our kura and our sports are using vans to pick up everyone. I’m seeing some of our local iwi are now set up ability to work in different pods and offices within their own communities so they don’t need to travel. I’m seeing thinking and planning being done to be able to identify vulnerable people, including our kaumātua, to be able to get their groceries and things.
“That’s really easing in and understanding it and starting that community thinking. When you live collectively and you think collectively, you plan differently. I don’t think the government is doing that.”
The full interview is available on the RNZ website and on Youtube.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand