escalating violence in our community Become a member of the Sensible Sentencing Trust

Mouseover links for full page descriptions

Archived Press Releases 2007 15th July 2007

"Our reality" - a Maori perspective.

(15th July 2007)

The world has changed – it is tough out there now. The world we conspired to create is drastically different from the one our parents and grandparents knew.

Our world is like an unguided missile, with more speed than control. If we mess up, we pay dearly.

We do not need a PhD in human science to know that virtually every dimension of human functioning is messed up by the consumption of harmful drugs, alcohol abuse, negative circumstances and choices.

But the explosion has happened. Crime has escalated to an extremely high level causing grief to whanau, hapu, iwi and the community. Violence is rampant, not just in the street but in the home. Each year our society witnesses escalating horrific crimes.

The word respect for people and property is foreign. We need to strongly bring back whanau values to ensure our youngsters and adults have a chance in life through education; good health and positive role models and a respectable future.

Maori must participate in and take advantage of what society offers instead of the miserable existence of the dark world of crime, imprisonment, poverty and hopelessness.

We can no longer afford to be lazy and idle, projecting an outward image that I'll be right, I can take it, and I’ll be ok, or we will learn the hard way.

It's not ok to casually accept these burdens because we fear judgment. "Ignorance is bliss", but ignorance is not an excuse and ignorance will only allow the burdens to get worse.

We have to stop being part of the epidemic and do something about it.

We need to stop making excuses. We need to stop blaming. Whanau, hapu, iwi must own the problem – not just for the sake of our people – but for the sake of the whole community.

We need to do what works and do what matters, our people need boundaries and they need to be responsible for their actions – no more excuses!

Our people need a totally focused energy that is the essence to plan positive life strategies. Life is exciting – we need to grab it – shake it – and embrace it.

By embracing this journey you have every right to be happy and successful and a respectable member of society.

Regards,

Kelly Te Heuheu
Maori Crime Issues Specialist,
Taupo Co-ordinator and Media Spokeperson
Sensible Sentencing Trust
Aotearoa