Source: E Tipu e Rea Whānau Services
The letter’s calls to end “move-on” policies, expand emergency housing, invest in public and affordable housing, and properly resource social supports reflect the realities our team is witnessing every day, CEO Zoe Witika-Hawke says.”As mana whenua and a health and social service focused on young parents, we see the ongoing consequences of housing insecurity and displacement every day,” says Zoe Witika-Hawke, Chief Executive of Ki Tua o Matariki. “Over recent months, we’ve supported young parents and hapū māmā who are being forced into unsafe or temporary housing, often isolated and far from whānau support. Many have nowhere stable to go, and the stress of relocation or displacement directly affects their wellbeing and that of their tamariki.”
This aligns with discussions raised this week in Ki Tua o Matariki’s article, The Cost of Living Apart, which highlights the social and cultural impacts the service is seeing as whānau face displacement.
The open letter calls for emergency housing and wraparound support, and this mirrors what Ki Tua o Matariki is witnessing in that almost all referrals from young parents this year have included urgent housing needs alongside mental health support. Housing instability is making it harder for whānau to access care and for services to support their wellbeing. For whānau Māori, long-term public housing solutions must also reflect intergenerational ways of living and their ancestral connections to whenua. Jessie Witeri, from Hine ki te Wheiao – lived experience group for Māori maternal mental health distress, says the link between housing and mental wellbeing is impossible to ignore.
“We hear every day from our māmā who are doing everything they can, but the constant uncertainty of where they will sleep next is breaking them,” says Jessie. “When you’re moved from place to place, far from your support, your mental health takes a hit – and so does your ability to bond with your pēpi, access care, or feel grounded in your own life. Stable housing is mental health care. Our whānau deserve both.”
Her comments echo the experiences being shared within Hine ki te Wheiao, who will continue to provide lived-experience leadership on the impacts of housing insecurity for young Māori parents and māmā experiencing distress.
“We stand alongside the organisations behind this week’s open letter,” Zoe adds. “Housing whānau safely and keeping them connected to their ancestral whenua is achievable – it requires commitment, resourcing, and policies that put whānau wellbeing at the centre.”
