The Minister must now “take responsibility for fixing it”, Willis says.
“It’s not enough to identify a problem. Her job is to ensure that people are safe and that the taxpayer is getting good value for money.
“She’s been a Minister for several months … New Zealanders don’t want her to commentate on the state of affairs, they want her to take action to resolve it,” she says.
Last month the two were at loggerheads after Willis said she no longer felt safe in central Wellington, citing an increase in emergency housing and a greater gang presence.
Davidson shot back saying those raising concerns about emergency housing should be “mindful of the racist and classist undertones”.
It was “disappointing” the Minister used her questioning about the safety of emergency housing to launch a personal attack, Willis says.
“I have been speaking about a genuine concern for many weeks now and only now is the Minister fronting up and acknowledging that this is a proper issue that requires ministerial accountability.
“Better late than never, but now I want to see some action,” Willis says.
At the time Davidson made the comments she told reporters the National MP “absolutely has an ongoing habit of framing brown and/or poor people as the problem,” while her own focus was on providing more transitional and secure housing.
RNZ
