Matua Kahurangi
Just a bloke sharing thoughts on New Zealand and the world beyond. No fluff, just honest takes.
Yesterday, I published a piece on Raymond “Tiny” Deane, the Rotorua man behind Visions of a Helping Hand Charitable Trust.
Deane had floated a proposal to house the city’s rough sleepers in imported, fully equipped cabins. These 24-square-metre units would include double beds, toilets, kitchens, wardrobes, and even televisions. The idea was to put them on land south of Rotorua to get people off the footpaths and out of CBD doorways that now make Rotorua look like a third-world city. It has always smelt like one, but now it looks like one too.
At first, I was impressed. Finally, someone was putting forward an idea, not perfect, not polished, but something. While Te Pāti Māori were ranting about Greta Thunberg and Gaza, here was a bloke actually talking about real issues that matter in New Zealand.
But as I hit publish, the comment section started pinging.
What my readers shared
One of my readers, Stephanie Van Pelt, pointed me to an article that I hadn’t seen. In February 2024, Tiny Deane and his now-sold security firm, Tigers Express Security Limited, were fined $1750 by the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority.
The ruling found Deane had:
- Operated without a proper license
- Employed unapproved guards
- Misrepresented the legal status of his security company
- Advised his charity, Visions of a Helping Hand, that they could operate under this non-existent license
Back in June 2023, the authority had already found that Deane’s actions were serious enough to deem him “not suitable” to manage a security firm.
Another reader pointed out that Deane had allegedly employed gang members as security guards. While unconfirmed, it adds more smoke to an already smouldering pile of red flags.
Fiji, five-Star hotels, and funded indulgence
Then came another tip, this time from Skarlett Starr. Skarlett sent me a report by 1News revealing that Tiny Deane, his wife, his stepdaughter, and several staff from Visions of a Helping Hand spent five days at a luxury business retreat in Fiji in June 2023.
While Rotorua’s rough sleepers were freezing in the streets, the leadership team of the government-funded charity was sipping drinks poolside at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa. The event? The Nurture Change Business Retreat, a beachside schmoozefest that promised cocktails, yoga, beachfront networking, and presentations by celebrity business types.
It’s not a good look.
Especially considering the TVNZ Sunday exposé that had already scrutinised the shoddy conditions inside the very same emergency housing motels that Visions were operating.
Another charity, same story
Honestly? This has left a bad taste in my mouth. I wanted to believe Deane was different. Maybe this guy was actually trying to help. But the more I dig, the more it starts to feel like yet another ride on the government funding gravy train, all dressed up in charity branding and the language of community care.
And it’s not the first time.
You might remember my piece on Bianca Johanson, CEO of Manaaki Rangatahi Pou Arahi, another Māori-run charity with a noble kaupapa and a slick front. Supposedly working to tackle youth homelessness, it turned out, in my opinion, to be more about cashing in than helping out. This is the article here:
Charity or paycheque?Matua Kahurangi 30 May
Yesterday, I wrote about Willie Jackson’s tweet quoting Bianca Johanson, the Chief Executive of Manaaki Rangatahi Pou Arahi, a registered charity. On paper, it all looks noble – a mission to tackle youth homelessness, a Māori and Pasifika community focus, and a name wrapped in kaupapa Māori. But let’s rip off the mask and talk about what this actually looks like in practice: a case study in how to build a feel-good façade while raking in public donations and pocketing the taniwha’s share.
We are seeing a pattern. It’s one that nobody seems willing to confront.
When government money flows freely into loosely monitored charities, and those charities are wrapped in cultural language that makes criticism taboo, things go unchecked. And while the elite enjoy Fiji retreats, the actual homeless, the people these funds are meant to support – remain on the street.
This whole thing has pissed me off.
I was ready to cheer for Deane.
But now I’m watching very closely.
You should be, too.
This article was originally published on the author’s Substack.
