Parata Hekia: Debate On Pacific IssuesText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeParata Hekia: Debate On Pacific Issues[Sitting date: 18 April 2013. Volume:689;Page:9554. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister for Pacific Island Affairs): I moveThat the House note the Pacific Parliamentary Forum being held this week at Parliament and that it acknowledge the needs and aspirations of all Pacific peoples and the contribution New Zealand can make as an integral part of the Pacific region to enhance its relationship with all Pacific people. We are joined today in the House by a number of special guests and delegates—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am sorry to interrupt the Minister but we are joined today by a number of very important guests so for those members who are leaving the Chamber I ask them to do so as quietly as possible.Hon HEKIA PARATA: We are joined today in the House by a number of special guests the delegates attending the inaugural Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum. I would like to extend a very warm Aotearoa New Zealand welcome to each of them. In particular I welcome the Pacific Ministers here with us today. With your busy schedules and various domestic pressures it is a great honour for New Zealand to host you as your cousins in the Pacific. I also acknowledge the other members of the delegation. You represent the leaders and decision makers of tomorrow. It is a privilege to have you here and I look forward together with all members of our Parliament to meeting many of you over the coming days.I would like to acknowledge the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee that in 2010 unanimously recommended to the House this interaction between our Pacific parliaments. I would like to congratulate my colleague John Hayes MP as chair of the committee on the work he has led to bring the original recommendation to fruition. To all those who have helped: ngā mihi nui. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my colleagues across the House who are of Pacific descent and whose presence here adds richness not only to their respective parties and communities but to our Parliament as a whole.The Pacific is a key priority for the National-led Government as it has been for successive New Zealand Governments over many decades. We are a Pacific nation. First and foremost we are united by the great ocean Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa which joins us and that is central to our understanding of our history culture and world view. Culturally New Zealand owes much to other Pacific nations. Around 7 percent of New Zealanders are of Pasifika origin. At the time of the 2006 census New Zealand’s population included some 58000 Cook Islanders 22500 Niueans 6900 Tokelauans 131000 Samoans 50000 Tongans 9900 Fijians and 8900 other Pacific peoples. In the case of the Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau with whom we share particular constitutional relationships the New Zealand - based populations are significantly higher than those based in their home countries. All of these Pacific peoples add to the social and economic fabric of this great country and we are richer for their presence.The many ties that link New Zealand across the Pacific make the fate of Pacific Island countries a matter of personal interest to many New Zealanders not least because of the significant contributions that Pasifika people make whether Pacific or New Zealand - born to the strength of our economy the dynamism of our communities and the richness of our culture. Pacific Island nations have gifted us and pushed out boundaries in art literature dance music film fashion; with experts in health education finance and the economy; leaders and politicians at community local and central government; and of course sport in every arena. New Zealand’s universities hospitals art galleries Government agencies schools businesses and Parliament have much to be thankful for in terms of the contributions made by our Pacific communities all wrapped and delivered through language identity and culture and long may it continue.Economically our exports to Pacific Island countries total nearly $1 billion. The region considered in its entirety represents New Zealand’s seventh-largest export market and twentieth-largest trading bloc. Trade with the region has grown more than 30 percent in the last 10 years and our exports have grown by 50 percent. New Zealand industry is working hard to provide the goods and services the economies of the Pacific need. At the same time demand in New Zealand for Pacific goods and particularly Pacific agricultural products is on the rise too. Imports in this sector have nearlydoubled since 2000 and are expanding to include a greater range of quality products. Moving forward Pacific engagement in PACER-Plus negotiations will strengthen economic relationships and enhance regional capacity for trade.This Government has an absolute focus on and commitment to supporting Pacific countries and New Zealand’s Pacific communities in achieving their developmental aspirations. Not only are we committed to working with our Pacific partners to achieve success our results tell us we are making a real and meaningful difference in people’s lives. The most readily visible demonstration of this Government’s commitment to the Pacific is that we spend more than half of our annual overseas development budget more than $250 million in the Pacific. Every day staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade are working alongside their Pacific counterparts to deliver programmes that will assist Pacific countries to improve their economic performance and support them to achieve sustainable economic growth.Key recent successes that serve as examples of the progress being achieved by our Government include renewable energy. The Pacific Energy Summit held in Auckland last month underlined the commitment New Zealand has made to working with the Pacific to assist in channelling international funding to areas of greatest need. Over 600 delegates attended the summit including eight Prime Ministers three Presidents and 75 chief executive officers. A key outcome of the summit included securing donor commitments of $635 million to advance renewable energy projects across the Pacific. In addition to working with developed partners to secure and channel development assistance New Zealand announced $65 million of funding to assist Pacific Islands to realise their renewable energy and energy-efficiency plans. Support was announced for the Cook Islands Kiribati Papua New Guinea Samoa Tonga and Tuvalu.In fisheries the Pacific tuna stock represents the Pacific region’s greatest shared resource. It continues to be a main source of income in the Pacific contributing US$260 million to combined gross domestic product and providing over 13000 jobs to Pacific Island people. During the 2012 Pacific Islands Forum Prime Minister Key announced New Zealand would invest additional funding into fisheries support programmes bringing our total commitment over the next 4 years to $50 million. Our support is aimed at upgrading the Pacific’s fisheries training institutions fostering seafood business enterprise development helping people in the industry gain formal globally recognised qualifications and upskilling fisheries officials in areas like international commerce and investment appraisal.The Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme helps to address seasonal labour and skill shortages in the horticulture and viticulture industries that cannot be filled from the available New Zealand labour pool. For the last 3 years between 6000 and 7000 Recognised Seasonal Employer workers have arrived in New Zealand annually.Because I am running out of time because there is so much to say I want to quickly flip to the end of my prepared speech and talk about how important it is that this inaugural parliamentary and political leaders meeting is occurring. I want to touch briefly on the issue of democracy a key theme of the upcoming Pacific Forum. One of the values we share with our Pacific neighbours is a commitment to parliamentary democracy. In the Pacific context different States have devised their own ways to shape and scale the democratic model and style to suit their situation. New Zealand is proud to stand by our Pacific partners and actively support the functioning of democracy in the Pacific. New Zealand is and will remain a committed supporter of the Pacific’s democratic traditions and I have no doubt that we will remain ready to support Pacific countries as and when our assistance is requested.Finally it would be unconscionable not to raise the issue of the low representation of Pacific women in their Parliaments. Just as ours in New Zealand has been the better forthe strong participation by women members of Parliament so too will be the parliaments of the Pacific Island nations. We should all work towards that goal.I would again like to thank our distinguished guests for their attendance at the inaugural Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum. We want you to know that we are committed to working with you as our Pacific partners to improve the lives of people throughout the Pacific. We are also committed to working to improve the lives of members of our Pacific community in New Zealand. The Government is mindful of New Zealand’s place as a Pacific country. We are honouring that by working to build a brighter Pacific future in which all Pacific people can share. Tēnā koutou katoa.