Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi says Kāinga Ora "has some answering to do" over vacant houses in Rotorua's troubled Tania Cr, which he believes are contributing to its issues.
Waititi said he understood the majority of Kāinga Ora houses on the street were empty, which he believed made it "the perfect place for the congregation of undesirables".
Kāinga Ora says there are four empty homes on the Western Heights street, all of them about to be demolished to make way for seven new homes.
One resident said she slept with a baseball bat by her bed and was afraid she could be shot if she stood up to the perpetrators.
On Monday, Waititi said the situation was "disturbing and sad".
"It's not acceptable, tamariki and their māmā should not have to sleep with fear and anxiety."
He said the empty houses created a "frequently disturbed and never settled environment" which made nearby houses and their occupants "easy targets" and allowed "undesirables to run rampant through communities".
"Kāinga Ora has some answering to do as to why the houses are vacant in the midst of a housing crisis in Rotorua.
"The community needs to be built on the desires and aspirations of Kaitao Rotohokahoka, its wellbeing and on the social support that sees whānau employed, educated and contributing."
Kaitao Rotohokahoka is the Māori name for the community in which Tania Cr is part of.
Five Kāinga Ora public houses under construction on Tania Cr. Photo / Andrew Warner
Waititi said police intervention was a temporary solution but it was better to be "proactive and help avoid the issue in the first place".
"It starts with building relationships between whānau, hapū and iwi and providing the right social support.
"The reality is, Rotorua's housing supply is at a huge deficit to current demand.
"Although they're building [five] houses on a property that once had one dwelling, we can't just keep shifting the problems and running away."
Waititi said the Waiariki electorate office would assist whānau of the Tania Cr community and maintain contact with community members.
His office would also be in touch with Kāinga Ora "in regard to the empty and boarded-up housing supply", he said.
Kāinga Ora Bay of Plenty regional director Darren Toy said all but four of its homes on Tania Cr were occupied.
The four empty homes were about to be demolished to make way for seven two- three- and four-bedroom homes, he said, and Kāinga Ora would soon install safety and security fencing around the existing homes.
"We are working on these new homes being ready for whānau to move into by April [next year]."
Those were in addition to the five new homes under construction at another Kāinga Ora site on the street, he said.
Kāinga Ora Bay of Plenty regional director Darren Toy. Photo / George Novak
They were expected to be finished about August this year.
"We continue to explore opportunities to bring on more housing in the city, with close to 200 homes under construction or being planned, alongside other purchase, lease, development and partnership housing opportunities."
On Tuesday, in a statement, Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said everyone deserved to feel and be safe in their homes, and improving community safety was a priority for the council.
She said the council could advocate on behalf of communities with the police as the lead agency, and the council's community wellbeing team was speaking to the police about the issues.
"Longer term, [the] council is looking to support the establishment of community hubs, including in Western Heights, which will enable community-led delivery of social and other services including initiatives to increase community safety."
She said people should report incidents to the police via the 111 or 105 numbers.
"This helps to build a picture of what is happening in our city for [the] police and [the] council."
Chadwick was also asked how she personally planned on assisting the residents of Tania Cr.
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick. Photo / Andrew Warner
In the same statement, council community wellbeing deputy chief executive Anaru Pewhairangi said hearing of incidents like those on Tania Cr was "concerning".
"It was good to see a zero-tolerance response from the community to this anti-social behaviour.
"To date we have not had any direct contact from residents from Tania Cr regarding public disorder or antisocial behaviour."
Last week, Police Rotorua area commander Inspector Phil Taikato said Rotorua police were "absolutely committed" to the safety of the community and would always respond urgently to immediate threats to people's safety.
"I want to reassure everyone in our community that we will still investigate these matters and hold offenders accountable."
On Tuesday, Rotorua MP Todd McClay wrote on social media that this week he would meet with the residents of Tania Cr "who feel harassed and abandoned".
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
