Auckland no longer the best place for Pacific people to live, critics say

Saturday, 20 April 2019

Auckland is no longer the best place for Pacific people to live, according to prominent voices in the community.

A panel discussion on belonging and the impact of the housing crisis on Pacific people took place on Thursday at the Western Springs Community Centre.

Community leader Voniani Nawaqavanua said Auckland Council had to do more in the face of increasing inequality.

“In my view Auckland still has a long way to go to make Pacific people truly belong and participate meaningfully in the affairs of this city,” he said.

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“The only place I see Pacific people doing well is in the All Blacks, as many of our children are gifted rugby players. But look at the management and government levels of rugby organisations, there is very low participation.“

The event was hosted by the council’s Community Development and Safety committee as part of a series of themed sessions with advisory panels to hear and understand their priorities.

Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel executive officer Koro Dickinson said the council acknowledged Pacific communities experienced social and economic challenges disproportionate to other Aucklanders.

'There is a really strong commitment for our organisation to reflect and ensure that we have people from Pasifika communities on our boards and represented at a governance level,” he said.

'At our senior leadership level for the first time we are putting targets in place to reflect the diversity of our communities. The strong aspirations [the] council has for Pacific people is embedded in the Auckland Plan.'

Dickinson said the council also sponsored awards for Pacific youth leadership and cultural events like the Pacific Music Awards.

According to 2013 Statistics New Zealand figures, Pacific people have a lower median personal income than other Aucklanders – $18,900 compared to $29,600.

They are also less likely to own their own home than other Aucklanders, with 68 per cent reporting that they rented.

While Pacific people make up about 13 per cent of the region's population, only eight per cent of candidates elected to Auckland Council and its local boards in the last election were of Pacific descent.

Former Miss Samoa Latafale Auvaá said the “cold, hard truth” was that Pacific people were struggling.

“When I drive through south Auckland I see homelessness on the streets. I turn on the news and I see stories of Pacific families and children living out of their cars,” she said.

“The fact is that if you‘re a Pacific Islander in Auckland today, your salary will not be able to meet the demands of the rapid rate of increase in rent.”

Latayvia Tualasea Tautai, the recipient of the 2017 NZ Youth Leadership Award, said now was the time to invest in a meaningful way for Pacific people to thrive.

“We can pursue shared equity options, investment in social housing and rent-to-buy schemes. These are opportunities to be innovative and to create change,” she said.