Waitomo Papakāinga chief executive Katie Murray at today's hīkoi. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
More than 100 people marched down Kaitāia's main street on Thursday morning to highlight what organisers describe as a meth epidemic afflicting the Far North town.
The hīkoi was organised by social services provider Waitomo Papakāinga, with marchers carrying placards proclaiming Don't Meth Around, Meth is Death and If You're Selling I'm Telling.
Chief executive Katie Murray said the number of people seeking support after becoming addicted to methamphetamine, or ending up in court for using or selling the drug, had risen sharply in the past few years.
She estimated meth use in Kaitāia had increased by 80 percent in the past 18 months.
"So it's huge," she said.
"Today we hope to get a message out to our community that it's not all right to have meth in our town. We want to make people aware of the support available in the community if you are on meth. And we want everyone to take responsibility to learn about meth and the harmful effects."
Don't Meth Around, Meth is Death and If You're Selling I'm Telling: Just a few of the placards from Thursday's hīkoi. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Murray said the effects were evident on a daily basis.
They included people not having enough money to buy food or pay their rent or mortgage, people losing their homes, or people having to double up and live in overcrowded conditions.
"We've got one of the highest truancy rates in the country as well, and part of that is parents are not parenting properly, because they're using meth."
The hīkoi ended at Kaitāia's town square, where speakers explained the symptoms of meth use so whānau could recognise if family members were addicted.
The speakers also encouraged users, and their whānau, to seek help.
"We're not here to judge but to offer support to the whānau, with food for example, or making sure children are being looked after and going to school."
Marchers perform a waiata after the hīkoi up Kaitāia's Commerce Street. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Murray said she had spoken to Police Minister Mark Mitchell about the problem.
"I explained that we have an epidemic up here, we don't have enough resourcing. We don't have enough rehabs - we have only one, Hope House up in Ngataki. We have a residential programme so we can take people in, but it's not enough."
She also believed more messaging about the harm of methamphetamine was needed, something her organisation was going to ramp up from now.
"But really it's only going to work if all of us contribute to the solution. That includes whānau, all of the government agencies and all of the providers in Kaitāia. We're asking everyone to come together to fight this disease that's affecting the wellness of our town."
