Newly Powerful Maori Party Demands More Help for the Homeless in Regions

The Maori Party says homelessness in the regions is an issue now, unlike before, and is vowing to use its new power in the House to tackle it.

The support of the party is more critical to the Government from today, with National's majority in the House reduced in the wake of Winston Peters winning the Northland seat off National's Mark Osborne yesterday.

Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox told TV One’s Q+A programme this morning efforts to secure funds for emergency and state funding will be at the forefront of negotiations the party will have with the Government.

"We've seen now $500,000 put into emergency housing that wasn't there before for Tamaki Makaurau - we'd like to see that extended to the regions”, she said. “Regions who've never had an issue with homelessness before, do now, and they need immediate support and immediate relief while we work on the housing network."

Ms Fox said the party would also like to see an increase in benefits.

But she stopped short of saying the party would be able to demand gains, saying instead it was all about "negotiating".

Q+A, 9-10am Sundays on TV ONE and one hour later on TV ONE plus 1. Repeated Sunday evening at 11:35pm. Streamed live atwww.tvnz.co.nz

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