Paraone Pita: Budget DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeParaone Pita: Budget Debate[Sitting date: 26 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:4012. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]PITA PARAONE (NZ First): Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Talofa lava. I preface my presentation tonight by acknowledging our Pacific Island relatives. Given the contribution that they have made to the industrial development of our country I think that they would be very disappointed in the Budget particularly as it affects them and the amount that has been allocated for them. Just over $8.8 million has been allocated to the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs and of course one of the things that was mentioned in the Budget was that there will be a name change to the department. I just wonder how much that will cost and whether or not the funding involved in that change of name could have been better utilised in terms of the development of that community.I also want to make the point that there was a programme running in Auckland where they previously had $1.1 million allocated. This Budget provides only $50000 because it is seen as the end of the programme. But I believe that there is need for such a programme and it should be maintained but that has not been recognised in this year’s Budget. I suppose we should not be surprised because given the debate so far—particularly from that side of the House—no mention has ever been made of that part of our community. They talk about diversity and the need to get on with the rest of our fellow man but in terms of this Budget reflecting the needs of that community it is very limited.I now want to move on to the main part of my contribution to this debate tonight and that is in the area of Māori affairs. On Budget day we heard from the Minister for Māori Development and the Leader of the Māori Party Te Ururoa Flavell just how much the Māori Party had contributed to this year’s Budget and the fact it was were responsible for a lot of the funds that have been allocated in the direction of Māori affairs. But a closer analysis of the figures will show that there is not really any new money. What the Government has done is it has just moved the different allocationsaround and the Māori Party told us it was responsible for an increased level of funding for the Māori affairs portfolio.One of the elements of the contribution to that part of the Budget was the reference to Whānau Ora. Any discussion on this part of the Budget without a mention of Whānau Ora would be very remiss. So I want to remind this House that of the $137 million already allocated to this programme $40 million has been allocated towards administration. I want to say that when the officials came before the Māori Affairs Committee and were questioned about this programme we asked what the major issue facing Whānau Ora was. The response was: to inform people as to what it was. After 5 years in existence that was the only response that they could come up with. And in spite of a damning report from the Office of the Auditor-General what does the Budget provide? Another $50 million. Another $50 million for a programme that although it does have its merits—I will be the first to say that—I think the way that it has been administered and managed certainly does bring the programme into disrepute. What it does is pass the responsibility of Government to service providers out in the community and therein lies the difficulty. I wonder about the value of this Budget giving further funding to a programme that clearly is in disarray. I am not being critical of those service providers out there who are clearly making the best effort to deliver something that the Government is responsible for.I just want to remind the Minister for Māori Development and the Māori Party that although they might jump up and down with glee about being able to sit at the table at the end of the day it depends on where you are sitting at that table—whether it is underneath or at the head of the table. I would suggest that the Māori Party is certainly not sitting at the head of the table notwithstanding the joy that it might have in terms of the level of funding that it has been able to get out of this Budget. Almost $220 million—it sounds a lot but when we have a look at the way that the Government has split it up one needs to question some of the decisions that have been made in this area.I want to comment about the allocation made to specific Māori Potential programmes including the Māori Registration Service Māori Wardens Project the New Zealand Māori Council and the Māori Women’s Development Fund. I want to say that when New Zealand First was part of the Treasury benches it was able to get $7 million alone just for the Māori wardens. All of a sudden we see in this year’s Budget—and of course it has headed a plan that is working—that that level of funding has been reduced. I just wonder why that is the case given that the Māori wardens are one of the few groups within the Māori community that have been very successful in caring for their community—with nothing.I also want to point out that if what the leader of the Māori Party said—that it had done so much for the Māori community—is true then why is it that after the 8 years that it has been associated with the Government in power Māori make up the worst figures in all of the social indices: unemployment poor housing and low incomes? To me that suggests that the Māori Party is not as cracked up as it would like us to believe.The other thing is the question that it has had to provide funding for rangatahi Māori suicide—just over $2 million. If we have to provide funding for that sort of issue then that begs the question: what has the Māori Party been doing for the Māori community? Why is that suicide rates amongst young Māori are the highest in this country? I have got to ask that question of the Māori Party because if it says that it is that good then why is it that we are having such a poor—[Interruption]The other thing is that the Māori Party talks about having gained $35.3 million in investment for Māori housing. I can recall in the old Department of Māori Affairs days that each region was able to build 60 new homes every year. This $35 million that the party talks about for housing is going to be over a number of years. So what has happened? Is it because the predominant party in the Government has overtaken the Māori Party and it is not as effective as it would like us to believe? Although the Government may talk about how good this Budget it is at the end of the day it ends up the wrong colour: red red red. Kia ora.