I feel for whānau who are living in fear of violence in their communities—fear that has been stoked by the media and the likes of National and ACT for political clout. A community-strengthening approach that addresses the drivers of offending is what will make our communities safer for everyone. Since the Government began its programme to decrease the number of Māori in prisons in 2019, our prison population has gone up by 2 percent. It has become abundantly clear that this punitive approach to justice has only made things worse for Māori. The only time Māori receive special treatment is when we are dealing with the criminal justice system. It has profiled and targeted tangata whenua for as long as it has existed in this country. We cannot imprison inequality out of society. ACT and National cannot call themselves tough on crime when they are soft on poverty.