Wall Louisa: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWall Louisa: General Debate[Sitting date: 08 June 2016. Volume:714;Page:11797. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]LOUISA WALL (Labour—Manurewa):Moe mai rā e te rangatira Tā Graham Latimer nui te aroha ki tōna whānau.[Rest there esteemed one Sir Graham Latimer and much empathy to his family.]In September 2015 New Zealand along with 192 other UN member States adopted the sustainable development goals (SDGs). They applied from 1 January this year. The first goal that the House may be interested to know is that there would be no poverty. We want to end poverty in all of its forms everywhere. Our Prime Minister went—he attended on our behalf—and at the General Assembly he committed not only New Zealand but our Government to these 17 SDGs. By 2030 we are supposed to reduce at least by half the proportion of men women and children living in poverty.I think that no group of people in New Zealand more exemplifies those living in poverty than the homeless. By definition the homeless are people living in severely crowded homes in motels in boarding houses on the streets or in cars. Between 2006 and 2013 homelessness in Aotearoa New Zealand increased by 25 percent. So I would like to say congratulations to the National Government! You have increased homelessness in New Zealand by 25 percent. That is over 41000 New Zealanders who are living in a homeless state.So rather than reduce poverty this Government is actually increasing poverty. That will mean that every year 2000 more New Zealanders will be homeless. By the 2018 census that will be over 51000 people. This is National’s legacy and John Key’s legacy as the leader of our country.What did Budget 2016 deliver to address poverty? What did it deliver? Well according to the Child Poverty Action Group the Salvation Army the Auckland City Mission Te Puea Marae and Manurewa Marae it actually delivered nothing. That is what this Government has delivered to reduce poverty in Aotearoa. This Budget does not lift one person out of poverty. This is more than a “get stuffed Budget” actually; this is a “you’re not important you’re a liability you’re undeserving you’re invisible and unworthy of our help Budget”. National just does not care. In fact its solution—which is its solution for everything—is that there is no problem that tax cuts cannot fix. We all know that that is what the agenda of this Government is.Tonight at 6 p.m. at Manurewa Marae the community is gathering. We have responded to the call of Te Puea Marae which has responded to the people across Tāmaki-makau-rau who need somewhere to sleep somewhere to get a hot meal and also a place where they can have a shower and wash some of their clothes. Actually it is great that Minister Tolley is here in the House this afternoon because my office has contacted the Clendon Ministry of Social Development office. We are hoping that the Ministry of Social Development staff will be involved in a triage process and that that is going to enable us to identify the people who come to Manurewa Marae and who need help.Hon Anne Tolley: Why don’t you get up to date? They’re already there.LOUISA WALL: Su’a William Sio my colleague talked about the 53 families who are at Te Puea Marae. There are going to be over 50 families coming to Manurewa Marae so it is wonderful that the Minister for Social Development has committed to her staff being there to help in the triage process so that we can have a plan of action that is going to address the needs of every single family and every single child who lives in homelessness and who wants to come to Manurewa Marae not just to seek refuge for a night not just so that they can have a place to sleep and something in their belly but so they can actually have a sense of calm in their life and not live in a stressful situation where they are living in a car. It is wonderful that the Minister has committed to her staff being there to help the community.Who cares about the homeless in New Zealand? Te Puea Marae Manurewa Marae the Salvation Army Auckland City Mission and the people and the community groups who are knitting blankets who on Saturday will meet me at 11.30 at Manurewa Marae. They are going to collect these blankets from rest homes around Tāmaki-makau-rau because they know that there are people in need who are cold. Those are the people who care about the homeless. It is philanthropy that cares about the homeless not that Government. Shame on you.