I would think most people would want to do that anyway by way of thank you. Having marae sitting idle waiting for the dead to turn up says a lot about how we value the living.
It is obvious many homeless and rough sleepers are Maori.
They are the ones we see in the streets and walking the outskirts of the city. Often carrying their possessions in plastic bags, shopping trundlers and tied-up bundles. Individuals and families sleeping in cars, parks and behind buildings. Anywhere out of sight. All without a permanent home.
It is reported that homelessness is at an all-time high. I would have to be convinced of that.
Solid data has never been collected, and collated, across the country to give an accurate picture of the size of the problem New Zealand is facing.
I do know we have people who have been homeless for years. But it is no longer just the individual.
Now we have families with children with nowhere to live. Not all sleeping rough. Cars can be kitted out when necessary. Garages cleared to provide a roof over tired heads. An upward trend of people having difficulty getting housed.
In my work I have seen the level of hardship and need increase this year as families struggle to make ends meet. When they can't many literally end up on the street.
If there is someone in our community tonight homeless, who doesn't want to be, that's one too many.
It takes a lot of work to organise and run a marae. The committees and marae workers give selflessly of their time, often over many years. They are upholding the mana of their marae, not only on behalf of the hapu but for those who visit as well.
When someone who is trusted by the homeless sits down with them and starts to unpack everything that is going on in their lives you begin to realise that having no place to call home is only the tip of a raft of issues that need addressing.
It could be health; often mental health, no money or little income to survive on. Some have dependency and addiction problems. And if they don't have a fixed abode they will have difficulty opening a bank account and getting a benefit.
Homeless people often can't produce all the identity papers they need to get assistance so they walk away and go without. It's too hard.
And we shouldn't be surprised private landlords don't want to know those who are experiencing housing problems. They have their investment to protect.
A bad track record, either with rental payments or looking after a house and property, doesn't make for a desirable tenant.
And the Government appears to have given up on priority families long ago. If they provide housing they might have to provide a total wraparound service package.
Last year in the United States I was impressed with how their priority housing services were provided. Someone actually takes the time to talk to the homeless. The social housing campuses I visited had a social services navigator on site six days a week.
Housing was provided for individuals and families but at the same time they had to be prepared to work with professional, experienced social services teams to start addressing their complex needs.
This was a staged, planned approach and it appeared to me a number of these qualified workers had "firsthand" knowledge of being homeless.
Should marae house the homeless? They don't have to. It's not their responsibility.
Should we sit and wait for the Government to get around to it. When is that going to happen?
If the Government can pay thousands of dollars to motels to house priority families then the Government and marae should be talking to each other.
In a marae setting there is the potential to deliver real change. To uplift, inspire and support individuals and families to be the best that they can be.
Merepeka lives in Rotorua. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart the spread of political correctness.
