Hereora Dave: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Hereora Dave: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:645;Page:14226] 
DAVE HEREORA (Labour) 
: 
 Madam Assistant Speaker teneioku mihi ki a koe. I stand along with my colleagues in support of the Prime Minister’s statement and like my colleagues I will also acknowledge the contribution of the Hon Brian Donnelly. I noted two points in his speech this afternoon. The first was how important he felt the select committees were in the role they played in Parliament and secondly I suppose was his measure of his contribution for the time he has been in this House. It made me think during the debate on the Prime Minister’s statement about those same issues—about what measure one has since one has been in here. I recall when I first came into this House as a young man that there were two areas I was particularly focused on. One was the area of labour relations and in 2002 the area of improving Maori development was an issue for me as well. So I intend focusing on those two points in my address in reply to the Prime Minister’s statement this evening. 
In our labour relations policies we replaced the Employment Contracts Act—a nasty piece of legislation I might add—with legislation that brought back a balance to the bargaining table: good-faith bargaining a term we hardly heard in the 1990s. Now under the Employment Relations Act workers and their families have benefited by getting that extra money in their pay packets. I am referring to recent settlements particularly those surrounding contract cleaners and hospital workers. Those groups of workers are benefiting by getting their slice of the pie but we cannot leave it there. We have to ensure that we are monitoring to ensure that their terms and conditions are protected and ongoing. I recall very clearly whether National members supported that change in legislation. Well did they? 
Hon Members 
: No. 
DAVE HEREORA 
: No they never did. The extra week’s annual leave the 4 weeks’ holiday—I noted that most people particularly in Auckland had taken that up and spent the entire month of January on leave with their families. I think that that is great. They particularly enjoyed a wonderful summer over the recent festive season and what a way to enjoy that break by getting an extra week’s holiday with their families. Did National support the increase of the extra week’s holiday? No way Jose! 
The other area was the increase to the minimum wage. It was the largest increase since 1999 and we have increased it eight times in 8 years. We have made wages fairer for young employees with the passing of the Minimum Wage (New Entrants) Amendment Bill. Recently I attended a briefing at a Work and Income office in South Auckland with the Hon Darren Hughes. Officials explained that during their discussions with new applicants for benefits they gave applicants the comparison of what they would receive on a benefit as opposed to what they would receive on a minimum wage. The comparison showed that they would get 35 percent more when they were out there working on a minimum wage. That confirmed for us that the policy of increasing that minimum wage was not only visionary but has proved that particularly in South Auckland we have more people taking the option of going to work rather than going on the dole and taking a benefit. So in terms of the increased minimum wage I ask whether National supported that. No way Jose! 
We introduced paid parental leave for the first time in New Zealand history in 2002. The term was increased from 12 weeks to 14 weeks in 2005 and the leave was extended to self-employed parents in 2006. Members cannot say that National supported that because I know that they never did. So there lies the record; every positive change to improve workers’ rights and conditions has been opposed by National—every positive change National opposed. 
We heard today from the Minister for Social Development and Employment the Hon Ruth Dyson that we have on record the highest number of people employed; 2.2 million people are in work today. I tell folks that that is where it counts. They are all out there working within the community and contributing to a strong economy and better family living and enjoyment. Hey but it gets better! That means 377000 more jobs in the economy contributing to the stability of our nation. And it gets better again—it does it gets better again. That equates to providing 126 jobs for each day we have been in office. I say again that that is where it counts. Sound policy leads to positive change and that is visionary. I have to ask the question about what effect that has on Maori. At the end of the day if we look at the stats in relation to Maori unemployment levels we find that in December 1999 the level was at 16.6 percent. But in December 2007 last year it had dropped to 7.7 percent. That is a drop of 54 percent and I think that that is huge. There has been a huge drop in Maori unemployment of 54 percent meaning that there are more Maori families enjoying living and being able to provide education health and all the things necessary for a sound healthy family. 
If we are then to consider other changes within the Maori economy I want to say that the signing of the heads of agreement under the Foreshore and Seabed Act between the Crown and NgatiPorou is a hugely significant agreement. Other iwi are also in negotiation or exploring the possibilities with the Crown for foreshore and seabed agreements. The Government also has major Maori affairs legislation to progress this year. As chair of the Maori Affairs Committee I can tell members that we are timetabling the draft legislation of the Maori Purposes Bill the Waka Umanga (Maori Corporations) Bill and also the return of the Mauao Historic Reserve Vesting Bill which transfers the title of what many New Zealanders know affectionately as “the Mount” to local iwi while maintaining the public’s right to enjoy that special place. 
In the area of Maori development as I have said unemployment levels have dropped to an all-time low. There are fewer Maori on the unemployment benefit. There are fewer than 10000 on the unemployment benefit for the first time in years. More Maori are attending tertiary education. In 2006 17.9 percent of Maori participated in tertiary education compared to 12.5 percent of Europeans. The Maori asset base is growing. The asset base is now worth an estimated $16.5 billion an 83 percent increase since 2001. In 2001 the Maori asset base was estimated to be around $9 billion. Maori education is improving under the Labour-led Government. The NgaHaeataMatauranga annual report on Maori education for 2006-07 showed that more Maori students are improving their achievement in National Certificate of Educational Achievement levels. Sixty percent of year 11 students were successful in literacy and numeracy credits in 2006 compared with 52 percent in 2005. 
We have to ask ourselves something. I witnessed and saw the news coverage of the rubbing of shoulders and noses between National Party leader John Key and Tame Iti and also the holding of the hands of the National Party leader and the Maori Party leader and I am wondering what that is saying. Is that giving a subtle signal that there will be some relationship formed here? Is that what it is saying? No we have it on record that the National Party leader if he takes office will abolish the Maori seats. He will abolish the Maori seats; that is National’s position. I have to say that with Katherine Rich now moving out of Parliament I would have thought that its Maori representative Georgina te Heuheu may have had the opportunity to move on to the front benches. I have thought that she is a very apt MP who does a lot of hard work and she has been in Parliament long enough to earn at the very least a position on that front bench. You know I am quite disappointed that she has not been given that opportunity. In fact National has two Maori members. It has an experienced Maori member in the Hon Tau Henare who has been on the front bench. But it looks as though he did not have a chance for that as well. So therein lies the record. The National Party’s position on Maori is to abolish the Maori seats. It does not even support its own members. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The next call is a split call between Chris Tremain and Heather Roy of 5 minutes each with a bell at 4 minutes.