The Tamaki Evictions

Two forces are at work in the evictions. The one is a constant pressure from the "nicer" end of town, which has loathed for many years the idea that "poor" people should live on what is considered prime land and the birthright of the "nice". This is a pressure increased by the current government. Second, there is the rationale that people should not expect to live in state housing for beyond a certain (undefined) period. The first rationale is simple class prejudice. Those who know the housing area know all about this, and are not surprised. The second in more complex. I happen to believe that, in certain circumstances, there should be no general right to permanence in state housing. That situation would require several conditions - better average incomes, a far better intermediate housing market, a far more comprehensive housing market, for example. Until such circumstances arise, many families only hope of decent accommodation will lie with the state and its housing provision. That is why I believe that the government should be doing far more in this area, rather than re-arranging deckchairs to suit Auckland's bourgeois prejudices.