Flavell Te Ururoa: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:631;Page:3253] 
4.  
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
 to the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: I tukuna ki whea o nga kaupapa a-mahi o naianei te rua tekau ma toru miriona iwa rau mano taara o te Putea a he aha i kore ai i whakapauhia ketia ki nga kaupapa a-mahi i whakaritehia i te tuatahi? 
[ 
From which existing programmes was the $23.9 million reallocated in the Budget and why was this money not expended on the programmes for which it was originally allocated?] 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Leader of the House) 
 on behalf of the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: If I take the second part of the question first the money is being expended in the current year on the programmes for which it was originally allocated. The reallocation is forward-looking from 1 July and the money is reallocated from these current programmes: building capacity in Maori communities capacity assessment direct resourcing of local level solutions local level solutions/ development whanau development enterprise whanau development sport and culture and whanau development action research programmes. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Ka pehea tona whakamarama ki te whanau ki te hapu me te iwi kei te pumau tona kawanatanga te tuku rawa kia tipu kia puawai te mana Maori i runga i te ahua kaore i riro i a ia he putea hou mo taua kaupapa? 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
How will he explain to whanau hapu and iwi that his Government is committed to invest in Maori potential when he was unable to obtain any new funding whatsoever to do so? 
] 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: Funding in the Maori area is significantly larger than it was 6 years ago. The reallocated funding moving forward from 1 July will particularly assist in terms of developing and retaining people’s own assets for collective and individual benefit; strengthening leadership and decision making; and building knowledge and growing skills and talents. 
Dave Hereora 
: How has the baseline for Vote Maori Affairs grown since 1999? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: The baseline for Vote Maori Affairs in 2006-07 represents $112 million more funding in a year for investment in Maori development than in the 1999-2000 year baseline. That has had many positive effects not least the fact that Maori unemployment has dropped from a record high of 18.9 percent to 8.6 percent. This is still higher than the Government wants to see it. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: What role did the Minister of Maori Affairs play in advocating the cutting of funding for local level solutions for Maori in this year’s Budget and was this funding cut because his ministry could not even answer questions from the select committee about the programme and had no idea what it was spending its money on? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: It would be fair to say there have been some difficulties with that programme. That is partly why money has been reallocated from 1 July into new programmes. 
Dr Pita Sharples 
: I runga i te tumeketanga ka topea nga putea manaaki tauira mo nga tauira iwa mano me te putea karahipi mo nga tauira Maori Poronihia hoki he aha nga tohutohu i tukuna atu e ia ki tona Tari ki te Minita Matauranga te Tari Matauranga ranei?  
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Regarding the shock axing of the manaaki tauira grants for 9000 students and the Maori and Polynesian scholarships what advice did he or his ministry provide to the Minister or Ministry of Education? 
] 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: The money that was involved in that programme of course was education money not Te Puni Kokiri funding. Interest-free student loans and increases in student allowances will by far more than compensate for the loss of that funding. That funding has been reprioritised into the Te Kotahitanga programme. 
Dr Pita Sharples 
: Kei te marama ia ki te karere a Te Mana Akonga e ki ra kare nga mahi poro i te putea manaaki tauira i te mahi tautoko kia haere whakamua te Maori a kei te whakapono ranei a ia he moumou taima noa iho te hui i te taha o nga tauira Maori mena kare he aha nga hui i whakatungia?  
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Is he aware of the release from Te Mana Akonga stating that cuts to manaaki tauira do nothing to support Maori advancement or does he believe that consultation with Maori students is a waste of time; if not what consultation has taken place? 
] 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I am not aware of what level of consultation occurred. I am aware that the administration cost of the manaaki tauira programme was very high compared with the amount of money that actually found its way to students. In fact by being reallocated the money will be far more effective in that it will get to the people who actually need it rather than being spent on officials. 
Ron Mark 
: Has the Minister received any reports of a possible coalition between the Maori Party and National in a National-led Government and how would such an arrangement affect the axing of manaaki tauira grants and scholarships; and how does he predict it would affect the baseline funding for Te Puni Kokiri given that one of those partners would want to dissolve Te Puni Kokiri— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The member knows that the Minister cannot be responsible for any of those political arrangements. If the member would like to characterise his question without that he is free to do so. 
Ron Mark 
: Has he read any reports of possible future governance arrangements in this country that involve parties that want to dissolve Te Puni Kokiri and extinguish Maori representation in this House and how would that affect funding for Te Puni Kokiri in the future? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: No that question is not related to the original question I am sorry. 
Ron Mark 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The proponents of three supplementary questions that have been asked extended the original question to bring into discussion the baseline funding for Te Puni Kokiri the axing of the manaaki tauira grants and scholarships and what the Minister would say to Maori iwi and whanau. Those supplementary questions brought those issues into this current question and I believe that it is perfectly appropriate for the Minister to further comment on those points his having already been asked to comment on them. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I think that if the member narrowed his question—it is certainly true that the educational aspect of it has been brought in—it would be more in order. But the question was an extraordinarily broad one. I will take another supplementary question. 
Ron Mark 
: What other risks does the Minister see to scholarship funding for Maori students particularly the manaaki tauira grants and baseline funding for Te Puni Kokiri in the foreseeable future? 
Ron Mark 
: What other risks does the Minister see to scholarship funding for Maori students particularly manaaki tauira grants and baseline funding for Te Puni Kokiri in the foreseeable future? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: There have certainly been suggestions that Te Puni Kokiri should fundamentally be abolished—and I see Mr Henare nodding his head in agreement with that—that any separate funding at all for Maori should be abolished and that the Maori seats should be abolished. In return for this generosity towards Maori Mrs Turia has stated that National is better for Maori than Labour is. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Kei te whakaae te Minita na te wehewehe te kore pa hoki o tona tari me te iwi Maori e rawa kore ana kaore i tukuna atu te rua tekau ma toru miriona iwa rau mano taara mo nga kaupapa a-mahi;a mena kaore he aha ai? 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Would the Minister agree that the reallocation of $23.9 million is the result of his ministry losing touch with ordinary Maori in need; if not why not? 
] 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: No I do not agree with that at all. Indeed the results speak for themselves in terms of increased educational participation reduced unemployment increased employment and improvements in longevity of life. This Government has delivered in those respects. Those are the actual facts on the ground.