The Focus and Background to the Issues

The Tamaki Transformation Project (which is now known as the Tamaki Regeneration Project) was formed because the community and the government felt there was a need to make improvements for the people of the community and to change the stereotypes. To understand why there was a need, we have to look at the timeline of events, so that we get a idea as to how the project started. When you are writing about the background of the issue, it is important that you write about the past so it builds a picture of why the Tamaki Regeneration project was needed. (Click here to see the History of Glen Innes Timeline). The Glen Innes Business Trust has some really good information about the history of Glen Innes as well.

One of the key issues of the TTP wanted to fix was housing in a hope to provide a better quality of life for the community. The state housing in G.I is poor and people are living in bad conditions. According to the G.I Business Trust the TTP "aims to improve housing and lives of the locals by more co-operation amongst government agencies like social welfare, education, housing, justice to deliver better results for the people involved. This urban regeneration programme is a 20 year project and has generated a sense of optimism amongst many locals".

So what was the problem?

There has been significant protest in Glen Innes over proposals to redevelop existing State Owned Housing.^[1] Housing New Zealand plans to replace houses on large sections with more intensive development, including some privately owned housing. However, this involves removing their tenants from properties they may have lived in for extended periods. Some protests have resulted in arrests of demonstrators, including the arrest of Mana Party MP Hone Harawira on one occasion.^[2] Housing New Zealand argues that the development will "make better use of land" and enable the provision of higher quality homes to their tenants.^[3]