When Communities Are Left Carrying the Weight

Last week we had the privilege of hosting Tākuta Ferris at Te Hono. It was valuable to have someone from Cabinet come and spend time listening directly to the realities our whānau are facing here on Te Tai o Poutini.

The kōrero was honest.

We shared how hard things have become for many in our community, and how the progress we had started making around equity, prevention, and whānau wellbeing has more and more come to a halt. One by one, many of the supports that were helping our rangatahi, mums and bubs, tane, and wider whānau are disappearing, losing funding, or struggling to survive themselves.

The impact of this is huge.

Our whānau were already under pressure with the housing crisis. Then came rising kai prices, increasing power bills, fuel costs, insurance, and the general cost of living. At the same time, employment opportunities across the Coast continue to be limited for many of our people.

More and more whānau are now living in constant survival mode.

This is no longer about people simply “doing it tough.” What we are seeing in our community is deep exhaustion, stress, and hopelessness building across generations.

We are seeing parents skipping meals so their tamariki can eat.

We are seeing homes sitting cold because families cannot afford power.

We are seeing vehicles parked up because petrol, registration, or repairs are out of reach.

We are seeing mums carrying enormous pressure while still trying to show up every day for their tamariki.

We are seeing rangatahi disengaging because they cannot see pathways forward into employment, education, or stability.

We are seeing whānau becoming more isolated, overwhelmed, and burnt out.

At the same time, many of the community programmes that created connection, prevention, cultural belonging, and practical support are also disappearing. These initiatives were never “extras” for our people. They were often the very things helping hold whānau together before crisis point.

The reality is that many grassroots organisations are now trying to carry increasing levels of need with fewer resources, less funding, and less certainty about the future.

For many whānau, there is no safety net left.

These decisions are not just political decisions on paper. They have real impacts on real people, real tamariki, and real futures.

One thing we spoke strongly about was the importance of voting.

Voting matters because our communities matter. Our voices matter. Our whānau deserve to be seen, heard, and prioritised.

To help make this more accessible for our community, Te Hono will have a voting booth available so whānau can easily come in and vote when the time comes.

We cannot stay silent about what is happening to our people.

Our communities deserve better.