Turia Tariana: Address in Reply 
Turia Tariana: Address in Reply 
[Volume:652;Page:1159] 
Hon TARIANA TURIA (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Tena tatou katoa. The Speech from the Throne delivered by the Prime Minister John Key spoke of the desire of New Zealanders as expressed at the polls for a fresh approach to our country’s challenges. Within a fortnight of the ballot boxes closing negotiations were being sealed for the formation of a new Government strengthened with the tripartite confidence and supply agreements. For the first time in the history of this country an agreement to govern was signed that recognised the importance of mana maintenance and enhancement for both parties. I acknowledge the courage of this Government to state upfront their commitment with the Maori Party to act in accordance with Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We are proud that our agreement establishes the opportunity to examine our constitutional arrangements and significantly to initiate as a priority a review of the Foreshore and Seabed Act. In this Parliament we must be brave enough to build on the foundation of change and challenge sweeping through our land. We must look anew at ways to achieve greater security and permanent peace and to invest in the well-being of all. 
A key statement in our confidence and supply agreement was the recognition that the Maori Party seeks significant outcomes in w’anau ora. In the agreement we suggested that this would be achieved through eliminating poverty advocating for social justice and advancing Maori social cultural economic and community development. These are the outcomes that will demonstrate that w’anau ora is achieved. They are outcomes that surpass traditional measurements of inputs and outputs and instead recognise the full value that can be added to our economy our communities and our families. 
Question time in the House is often fixated on what can be seen as conventional measures of success such as inputs outputs services programmes funding contracts and budget specifications. While the numbers and the dollars are counted by the number crunchers there is always the risk that analysts become far more focused on the time the money and the goods invested than on the ultimate goal of any particular intervention or the outcomes that are achieved. As the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector this is an area that I am looking at as providing us with new insights and new avenues of thinking on how to build stronger and more strategic organisations. 
As a case in point I am impressed with the report  
Counting for More 
 produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers. This report focused on organisations in the tangata w’enua community and voluntary sector targeting Literacy Aotearoa and Plunket as case studies. The project mapped out specific outcomes: measures such as reduced family violence or rates of unintentional injury of children for Plunket. In the case of Literacy Aotearoa there were outcomes such as income education employability and improved home life. The project measures what counts and the tangible differences made to people’s lives. Measuring what counts is what will make the greatest progress towards achieving performing organisations. We need to embrace the willingness to do things differently to be more creative to cooperate with other groups and to build for the future.  
Counting for More 
 proved without doubt that the outcomes for people who use services provided by voluntary welfare organisations are often significantly understated and undervalued. It demonstrated that across justice health social wellness and education investment in the community can achieve significant cost savings across those agencies the Government families and communities. 
The greatest challenge in these times must be to trust in communities to find solutions rather than top up a contracting regime that is taking us nowhere. We need to be firm in our resolve that some of our most intractable problems will be best managed through encouraging ownership and innovation for local communities to find their own solutions. Last night in this House my colleague Te Ururoa Flavell talked about the trouble that has recently gone down in Murupara and the commitment of the local people to work with their community leaders to engage with the gangs and to address issues in their own way. They have negotiated their way about an enduring solution to the community conflict that keeps erupting and disrupting their lives. They are engaging directly with the gangs in a process model to try to work with their community including those who participate in gangs to create solutions they can all own. It is an approach based on face-to-face contact or what we know as kano’i ki te kano’i. It is an approach that stands strong in their determination to say that if any one group is targeted as a problem then it is vital that the same group is targeted to come up with solutions. 
Another community-driven model I want to speak of today is the Kapai Kai project based in Maraenui. This project has involved a group working over the last 4 years to deliver kai to all their families across Maraenui. The outcomes are wide and various. It provides access to fresh affordable vegetables; it re-orientates families towards cooking nutritious kai as part of the programme and it encompasses a focus on health nutrition and physical exercise. The outcomes are tangible and able to be proven on paper with qualifications in organic horticulture and rongoa that lead on to employment opportunities. The Maraenui Medical Centre has come on board and monitors the health of the w’anau participating in this Kapai Kai project observing notable differences in the health and well-being of those who attend. If that is not proof enough we can measure the outcomes in the growth of high-quality crops for the local and export markets as well as the establishment of the community gardens the mara kai as key training grounds. 
Murupara and Maraenui are just two of the amazing communities making creative choices about how they can make the difference necessary to meet the needs of their own. As we move into the rocky roads ahead with the after-effects of the global recession this local autonomy will be critical in ensuring we have a solid base to ensure that our communities remain in good heart. I am really pleased to announce that later this month on 25 February Philanthropy New Zealand and the Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations are hosting a workshop on the impact of the economic downturn on the community and voluntary sector. The workshop has been motivated by the obvious need to prepare for the days to come as we consider strategies to manage finite resources within the context of an economic recession. 
Similarly I firmly believe that the single most important thing we could all do within our respective communities is to reignite interest in the concept of collective care. This does not have to reside with the Office of the Community and Voluntary Sector. The commitment to truly care for the well-being of our neighbours in order to contribute to the greater good is a challenge that all of us can practise. Tena tatou katoa.