Wall Louisa: Budget Debate 
Wall Louisa: Budget Debate 
[Volume:647;Page:16566] 
LOUISA WALL (Labour) 
: 
 Kia ora Mr Deputy Speaker; tena koutou katoa. It is my pleasure to korero about what Budget 2008 means to me as a member of Labour’s Maori caucus and as Labour’s candidate for the electorate of Tamaki Makaurau. Firstly I will focus on the rationale behind our Budget and highlight the values and Labour Party principles that make it easy for us to articulate our policy initiatives. 
Labour’s 2008 Budget which builds on what we have achieved since we became the Government in 1999 is all about building a fair economy and a strong future for all New Zealanders. Our economy has been so well managed by Dr Cullen that in these hard economic times we have the resources to assist New Zealanders and that will help to relieve at least some of the pressure of the increasing costs being felt by families at the checkout and petrol pump—and yes to buy that block of Colby cheese if they so choose. 
Being able to deliver tax cuts at this time is completely by design and not by accident because Dr Cullen has managed the Government’s budget so very well in the 9 years he has been responsible for doing so. We have been able to prioritise tax cuts in Budget 2008 in addition to continuing our focus on Working for Families and preparing for the future. I note that in today’s  
New Zealand Herald 
 the editorial writer’s piece summarises this beautifully: “Over the past nine years Finance Minister Michael Cullen has worked assiduously to prepare for the retirement of baby boomers from 2011 developing the Superannuation Fund and KiwiSaver. A far more knowing electorate needs to be reassured that another National government would not devalue KiwiSaver let alone repeat the Muldoon Administration’s error.” 
Also according to the editorial in today’s  
New Zealand Herald 
 “National’s confusion over KiwiSaver should be a warning.” and the writer like other hard-working Kiwis just does not get why John Key is saying “We haven’t finalised our programme yet.” This attitude is just too risky and Kiwis at the end of the day will not hand over the driver’s seat of our proud nation to someone who cannot even tell us what he would do. It is worth noting from today’s  
Dominion Post 
 that employer lobby groups are pushing National to adopt a policy that allows businesses to take KiwiSaver contributions from wages which the New Zealand Amalgamated Engineering Printing and Manufacturing Union has calculated could cost the average worker $190000 in wages and lost interest over their working lives and which would put Kiwi workers even further behind their Australian counterparts. This is the real National agenda—workers are last on its list of priorities. 
Budget 2008 focuses on helping people especially those on lower incomes those with families and superannuitants among which 22000 kaumatua will benefit by $23.84 per fortnight as a single person and $45.88c per fortnight as a married couple. This builds on the $500 rates rebate and the SuperGold card to show a long-term strategy. Our tax cuts do not come at the expense of public services. When National was last in Government and times got hard it cut superannuation and public services. Now it wants Labour to do the same—that is to hurt those New Zealanders who are most vulnerable. That is not our style and we make no apologies for focusing on working families and older New Zealanders. 
The Labour Government I belong to is very clear about meeting the needs of hard-working New Zealanders and their families and ensuring that they have access to public services. Our plan is responsible because it provides tax relief while continuing to invest in public services like better hospitals modern classrooms cheaper doctors’ visits and prescriptions and more nurses doctors teachers and police officers. Labour will keep planning and investing for a strong future for our economy by investing in its modernisation with more funding for science and research public transport and trades training. We are also investing in buying back our rail system—for a modern sustainable transport network—fast broadband the lifting of the skills of our workforce and a reduction in taxes for business. So we have a plan with coherent and principled policies as opposed to the Opposition who at this point in time have little if any policy. 
What is in this Budget for Maori? Specifically there is over $130 million worth of initiatives. Before I outline some of these I will make some comments within a context of a growing Maori identity. In the 2006 census over 565000 New Zealanders identified as Maori—an increase of 30 percent since 1991. So one in seven Kiwis are indigenous and approximately 40000 of these share Pacific ancestries. Nearly 25 percent of Maori live in Auckland and 35 percent of them are under the age of 15. As at the 2006 census nearly 18000 Maori had bachelor’s degrees 2241 had master’s degrees and 387 had PhDs. The relevance of this achievement to Maori is evidenced within Maori income level statistics with approximately 50000 more Maori earning between $30000 and $100000 and with the median income increasing from just under $15000 in 2001 to just under $21000 in 2006. I note that the biggest jumps are in the $40000 to $50000 bracket where the median income rose from $14550 in 2001 to $26352 in 2006 and in the $50000 to $70000 bracket where it rose from $9864 in 2001 to $21945 in 2006. 
Maori have benefited in other ways under this Labour Government. The Maori unemployment rate in March 2008 was 7.7 percent compared with over 15.4 percent in March 2000. The Maori rate of participation in early childhood education is now over 90 percent with many families benefiting from our policy of 20 hours’ free early childhood education. The Opposition has said that we have failed Maori but again it has no policy no solutions and just empty rhetoric—that is other than its commitment to the abolition of the Maori seats lest we forget that. 
Education is of critical significance to Maori and Labour supports Maori aspirations. We know from recent research that Maori success in education from a solid base of Maori identity corresponds to greater educational achievement. So we have committed an additional $1.49 million in Budget 2008 for kohanga reo which builds on the $3.8 million allocation in Budget 2007. Additionally seven kura and wharekura will open over the next 2 years—four in Tamaki-makau-rau one each in Kirikiriroa Waiariki and Whanganui—which will build on our investment in kaupapa Maori educational facilities. 
We are committed to working with Maori in the Treaty settlements process. Budget 2008 commits an additional $5.3 million in operational funding over the next 4 years in Vote Treaty Negotiations. Since December 2007 we have reached six agreements in principle which will build on the now estimated $16.5 billion Maori asset base. This is an increase of 83 percent since 2001. Additionally we have two heads of agreement under the Foreshore and Seabed Act that recognise and protect in this instance the mana of the iwi of Te Whanau-a-Apanui and Ngati Porou while simultaneously protecting public access. Other parties have attacked the right of iwi to enter into such negotiations and to settle with the Crown but we concur with kaumatua Api Mahuika and congratulate Ngati Porou on making a precedent that others can follow. 
I want to highlight the imminent Central North Island Collective settlement in providing the opportunity for the iwi involved Ngati Tuwharetoa Ngati Whakaue Tuhoe Ngati Rangatihi and Ngati Whare—noting their collective membership totals more than 75000—to korero together and propose to the Crown a way forward in developing a solution as to how forest lands in their region will be used in historical Treaty settlements. 
Maori then will need support to enable the transfer of this asset base into business and job opportunities for all New Zealanders. We will do this by investing over $40 million in Budget 2008 for the establishment of Maori Business Aotearoa New Zealand. This entity will establish services for Maori by providing business support identifying opportunities for Maori economic development and providing some facility for loans to Maori businesses. This initiative is all about building upon and expanding Maori economic aspirations and continuing to look to the future. 
Budget 2008 also recognises the value of Maori nurses with a $12 million allocation over 4 years to increase their numbers and skill base. This is complemented by a focus on Maori provider development where this Government continues to value Maori-specific service provision in meeting the needs of Maori and other New Zealanders. As part of this Labour-led Government’s total of $446.5 million investment in community organisations we have committed over $10 million to 170 Maori providers. 
Finally I will highlight the additional $14.9 million this Government is investing specifically in strengthening the Maori Wardens Association which in addition to the $2.3 million in capital funding will bring the total funding support to $17.2 million over 4 years.