Our forgotten communities
Gangs, poverty and drugs are among the issues worrying New Zealand’s most vulnerable communities, a Salvation Army report has found.
Residents of Porirua City, Papakura in Auckland and the Christchurch suburb of Linwood were surveyed by the organisation to create a snapshot into what issues the communities faced. The findings were presented to the Government yesterday.
In all three areas, school standdowns, notifications to child welfare agencies and rates of adult conviction were higher than the country’s average.
Residents often described feeling they were forgotten by the Government and the rest of the county.
Crime and safety, poverty, outside perception and concern for their children were recurrent themes of all three areas surveyed. Social progress in Porirua and Papakura was worse than the national average, the report found.
Described as a partner document to the annual State of the Nation report, the State of the Communities used more than 300 face-to-face interviews to analyse what was happening at the grassroots level in specific communities.
It also asked what ‘‘challenges’’ residents had for the prime minister. Improving safety and helping the homeless was a common theme.
Porirua
Gangs, drugs and anti-social behaviour were real concerns for residents of the city, the report found.
Vacant shops and buildings led people to believe businesses were struggling and they wanted more help for local homeless people.
Beggars were a concern many.
Over half those surveyed felt most of Wellington viewed their city in a negative light, something they believed was outdated and to stemmed from the gang presence in the city.
A school principal in the city’s east said local families struggled with low and unreliable incomes, which made it hard to pay bills and buy decent food.
Children often missed school because their family couldn’t provide lunch.
Among the challenges to the prime minister were: ‘‘We’re better than what people say’’ and ‘‘our voice needs to be heard.’’
Papakura
Crime and safety were major concerns for Papakura residents, who highlighted the area’s gangs as a contributor to drugs and violence.
Many said gangs had a major impact on the community and they felt unsafe. People also felt there were too many bottle shops in the area, the report said.
Concern for the area’s children and young people was a major theme of those surveyed with a lack of activities a real worry.
Like Porirua, vacant shops and buildings concerned locals, as did beggars, although, like Porirua, they wanted them helped not just chased away.
Over half of those surveyed said the rest of Auckland saw Papakura in a negative light.
Challenges to the prime minister included: ‘‘People here need hope’’ and ‘‘walk in our shoes for a day.’’
Linwood
Again, crime and safety were common themes with more than 50 per cent saying it was their major concern.
Many locals said gangs were a concern, as were people struggling with drugs and alcohol. Beggars were also a worry.
Like Papakura, the lack of activities for children and young people concerned locals, as did the size of the school rolls.
Too many fast food outlets and poverty in the community were big concerns and some locals were fearful of the environment being continually damaged, especially if more earthquakes occurred.
‘‘Come see how we live’’ and ‘‘remember we are here’’ were among their messages.