7. Question No. 7—Māori DevelopmentHon WILLIE JACKSON (Labour) to the Minister for Māori DevelopmentQuestion No. 7—Māori Development7. Hon WILLIE JACKSON (Labour) to the Minister for Māori Development: Does he stand by his statement I do think people are feeling vulnerable. And that for me is a message that I must be a strong advocate and contributor to Māori success"; if so does he think cutting jobs at Te Puni Kōkiri is a "contributor to Māori success"?Hon TAMA POTAKA (Minister for Māori Development): I am committed to Māori and New Zealand's success and this coalition Government is committed to good government. There is a consultation process under way at Te Puni Kōkiri and that's an operational matter that I'll leave to the Tumu Whakarae of Māori Development to progress.Hon Willie Jackson: How does prioritising Government policies that removes te reo Māori from Government departments removes the Treaty provisions in the Oranga Tamariki Act and repeals the Māori Health Authority contribute to Māori success?Hon TAMA POTAKA: I said this before: I remain very committed to being a good example of using te reo Māori in this House and other places. One thing that I would say is that under the last Government where some of these outcomes went haywire we saw an increase of 98000 through to 130000 Māori on main benefits and we are committed to supporting Minister Upston and others to get this country back on track.Hon Willie Jackson: Does the Minister agree with David Seymour that analysis provided by Te Puni Kōkiri is not adding much value and if so is this the reason why he is cutting jobs at Te Puni Kōkiri?Hon TAMA POTAKA: I agree with Minister Seymour who has observed that having one out of three Māori kids going to school is an absolute failure and we need to get more Māori children back to school.Hon Willie Jackson: Mr Speaker point of order. Point of order Mr Speaker. I don't even believe the Minister's addressed the question. The question was very specific: does he agree with David Seymour and the analysis provided by Te Puni Kōkiri (TPK)? He's talking about something completely different. I don't even believe he's addressed the question.SPEAKER: Well that may be your belief but when he stood up and said he agrees with David Seymour and then went on to give an example of it I think that addresses the question. But I'll tell you what ask it again and see what else he can come up with.Hon Willie Jackson: Thanks very much Mr Speaker.Rt Hon Christopher Luxon: Come off script.Hon Willie Jackson: Come off script—oh OK. E whakaae ana ia ki tā David Seymour ko te wetewete a TPK kāre i te nui haere te wāriu mēnā koinā te take i tapahia e ia ngā mahi i TPK? [Does he agree with David Seymour the slashing of TPK value is not increasing if that is the reason for him cutting the activities of TPK?]Hon TAMA POTAKA: E tino tautoko ana au i te kīanga kōrero a Minita Seymour. E pēnei ana tāna kōrero: korekore noa iho ngā tamariki Māori e haere ana ki ngā kura nā reira me kaha tātou me pakari tātou ki te tautoko i ērā tamariki Māori kia hoki atu ki te kura. [I absolutely support the statement of Minister Seymour. His statement went like this: Māori children are not at all going to school so we must be strong we must be determined to support those Māori children to go back to school.]Rt Hon Winston Peters: Does the Minister—SPEAKER: Hang on. Sorry—Mr Peters if you wouldn't mind sir we'll just wait for quiet.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Does the Minister consider that the question's phraseology is more understandable to 95 percent of New Zealanders than it's ever been in the past? Hon TAMA POTAKA: Tino tautoko. [Absolutely agree.]Hon Willie Jackson: Can I ask the Minister what advocacy if any has he done to ensure no further cuts to workers across his portfolio responsibilities?Hon TAMA POTAKA: As mentioned before those matters are in the operational remit of the Tumu Whakarae of Māori Development but what we are absolutely focused on is the nine key Government targets many of which touch on disproportionate impacts on Māori.Hon Willie Jackson: Can I ask how he can claim he is a strong advocate for Māori success when all Māori are seeing is cuts repeals and the undermining of kaupapa Māori initiatives?Hon TAMA POTAKA: Late last year we saw a number of Māori particularly whānau Māori who lost their jobs at Juken at Gisborne's timber mill and Te Puni Kōkiri and others got behind and rallied behind those people and gave them support to retrain and transition out of an unemployment situation into horticulture and construction. That is the mahi that this Government is committed to supporting—to getting people back in work and off the main benefits."