Harawira Hone: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Harawira Hone: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 13 February 2013. Volume:687;Page:7791. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
10. 
HONE HARAWIRA (Leader—Mana) 
 to the  
Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment 
: Does he agree that a Maori and Pacific unemployment rate that has been nearly three times higher than the Pakeha rate for each of the four years of his Government’s time in office signals the failure of the National Government’s employment education skills and training policies for Maori and Pacific peoples; if not why not? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment) 
: 
 No I do not agree with that assertion. Although the Maori and Pasifika unemployment rate is higher than we would like because of the challenges of the global financial crisis our employment education skills and training policies are working hard to support a growing economy and provide more training and skills opportunities for all New Zealanders including and in particular Maori and Pasifika. A few examples for the member are the 8500 fees-free tertiary places for Youth Guarantee; the nearly 3700 trades academy places which are particularly popular with young Maori; the 300 places for the new Pasifika trades initiative to improve Pasifika achievement in trades; He Toki ki te Rika $1 million for Maori trades training; and also the— 
Hone Harawira 
: That’s enough. That’s enough. 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: No I think it is important to get it out to the member because he is obviously not aware of it. There is also fees-free second-chance foundation training and the new New Zealand Apprenticeships programme. 
Hone Harawira 
: Does the Minister agree that even more appalling than the unemployment rates is the fact that only half of all Maori and Pacific Island people living in New Zealand actually have jobs and does that mean that National’s promise of a brighter future and an inclusive economy with jobs for all does not actually include Maori and Pacific Island people? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: No I do not agree with that assertion but I think the member raises a good point and that is that we should all look to encourage opportunities for investment in the different parts of the country where it would be helpful for all New Zealanders. And if you take the member’s own area of Northland there are lots of initiatives going on there—for example in the minerals and resources space which I know the member opposes. But actually Northland has one of the worst unemployment rates in the country and it is not enough to sit there and say: “We want jobs.” and then not actually support the measures and initiatives within your own region that encourage jobs. I would encourage the member to change his view on that because I do not like the idea of trade fairs in Kaikohe to get young Northlanders to work in the Western Australian resource sector. I would prefer they were working in Northland. 
Hone Harawira 
: Listening to the Minister blame the global financial crisis—[ 
Interruption 
] yes he did—does the Minister agree—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Order! 
Hone Harawira 
: Order boys. Order boys. Does the Minister agree that the global financial crisis has nothing whatsoever to do with the racial mix of the unemployment statistics here and that those truly appalling statistics are in fact the result of his Government’s total lack of commitment to reducing Maori and Pacific Island unemployment rates; and what does that lack of commitment say to his mana-enhancing partners in the Maori Party and the silently suffering Pacific Island MPs in his own party? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: No I completely reject everything the member said in that question of which there was a lot. This Government has been a passionate supporter of training and education opportunities for Maori and Pasifika. We have a higher proportion of success in tertiary education for Maori than there has ever been. We have a higher proportion for Pasifika than there has ever been. It is not high enough but by goodness we started from a low base that we inherited and we are working a heck of a lot harder than that member is.