te Heuheu Georgina: Appropriation (2009/10 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
te Heuheu Georgina: Appropriation (2009/10 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
[Volume:656;Page:5908] 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU (Minister for Courts) 
: 
 I am very pleased to speak in the debate on the Appropriation (2009/10 Estimates) Bill. I will make some comments relative to the Leader of the Opposition’s speech a minute ago. Yes there is no doubt disappointment over the Auckland seats issue. There is no doubt about that; the disappointment is around us for all to see. Yes I did cross the floor in 2002 to support Mita Ririnui’s bill. I did that partly because the Bay of Plenty is an area I know well and because it seemed to me that that was the thing to do for that area at the time. Thankfully my party allowed me to do so. But in the end it may be that the best way for the seats to eventually come in across this country at local government level is for it to happen in exactly the same way that Mita Ririnui did it for the Bay of Plenty. The Bay of Plenty wanted to have Maori seats and the fact that they work shows what a wise move that was. In the end the Tuku Morgans of this world will find a way to ensure that their voice is heard as mana whenua. Maori in Auckland will make sure they find a way to do that. 
This House—and this Government in particular—wants to focus on some of the things that really matter at this point in time: literacy and numeracy for Maori and Pacific children training initiatives more support for training and job opportunities. Those are the things that lift the lives of Maori individuals Maori children and Maori young adults today not the issue of seats. Seats are an important issue but they are not as important as the things that this Government wants to focus on which are about lifting the lives of individuals families and communities and the rebalancing of the economy which the Minister of Finance talked about today. Rebalancing the economy is absolutely critical to ensuring that every individual family and community flourishes and grows into the future. 
I will focus briefly on the area of Maori development and Maori advancement. National believes in and supports the notion that the job of a Government is to create the framework that allows individuals and communities to flourish. That is what is happening in our approach to Maori issues across the board. The seats are important but they do not necessarily lift Maori families at this point in time. 
Hon Parekura Horomia 
: Oh cut it out Georgie. 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU 
: They do not and that member knows it. Mind you when that member was in Government he did not know what would lift Maori families. He did not know that then and he does not know it now. 
We inherited a long tail of dysfunction and that member knows it. Over 50 percent of Maori boys cannot read and write. That is what was bequeathed to our Government when we came into office. Maori seats will not fix that but national standards in schools will and literacy and numeracy will. More training and job opportunities are what fix the issues that Maori families worry about on a daily basis. The previous Minister of Maori Affairs did not get that. He was good at going around the marae and I give him credit for that but ultimately we inherited a long tail of underachievement which Labour should be absolutely ashamed of. 
I will look at some of the things we are doing in terms of education—I see Minister Tolley in the House. Despite the economic downturn we have a whole raft of initiatives designed to lift Maori and Pacific individuals particularly those individuals and families in our communities who are not doing well because Labour which was profligate when in Government wasted the surpluses and did not address the issues at all. 
Regarding the spending on public services I say there is a $3 billion boost for health services $1.68 billion of spending on education to raise student achievement plus 600 more police 246 more probation workers more infrastructure—roads in particular—and more schools. Maintaining people’s entitlements is absolutely important. There is $1.68 billion over the years 2008 to 2013 to improve facilities for education. We will be building new schools modernising existing ones helping students to meet the national standards and making sure that if young New Zealanders are not in training they at least have opportunities to look towards that. The things that matter are education health boosting Maori providers strengthening Maori business and developing a Maori tourism strategy which the previous Government never did. All of those things will improve the lives of Maori way way before having seats in local government would. 
Labour thinks that we appear to have a slight hiccup here—and that is all it is. We know my colleague Tau Henare and we know that sometimes he just has to make a comment; he cannot help himself. 
Hon Members 
: Oh! 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU 
: That is a very affectionate comment; it is not a criticism. I admire him and he has been here way longer than any of those members. Tau Henare will say what he wants to say but that does not a rift make. Labour wishes it would. It has the temerity to think that somehow over this one hiccup it can get the Maori Party on its side. Labour does not have a hope of doing that. Those members would not have a clue about how to respectfully court the Maori Party. Helen Clark called the Maori Party the last cab off the rank but the Labour members think that this one hiccup for us will somehow get that cab to go to them. It absolutely cannot. The Labour Party did not treat its Maori members properly; otherwise Tariana Turia would still be sitting over there. Where is she? She is not there; she was totally humiliated by that party. 
Paul Quinn 
: Where is she? 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU 
: She is still on our side of the House. Labour would not have a clue about what respect or mana is. Labour trampled on Tariana Turia when she was there and it has not done anything this year to win the affection or respect of the Maori Party. 
The Maori Party will be with us for a long time to come. There is no doubt we will have our ups and downs; that is what happens in a family. But essentially we have laid a long-term plank for the Maori Party to hopefully remain with us. Labour with all its Maori support for all of those years trampled on the interests of Maori people and does not have a show of winning the Maori seats back. Certainly for the time being Labour does not have a show of winning the Maori Party to its side.