Laban Luamanuvao Winnie: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Laban Luamanuvao Winnie: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
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Hon LUAMANUVAO WINNIE LABAN (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector) 
: 
 Kia ora talofa lava and warm Pacific greetings to you all. Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. Today is special because it is the seventh anniversary of my giving my maiden speech and I stand to say how proud I am to be a member of this wonderful Labour-led Government.  
In the Prime Minister’s address to the House on Tuesday she said that New Zealand’s future is dependent on long-term sustainable strategies for our economy society environment culture and way of life. She went on to say that those strategies have to be driven by strong leadership and sound policies. Helen Clark and Michael Cullen have provided the strong leadership and the Labour-led Government has developed and implemented a wide range of sound policies. The results speak for themselves. The Labour-led Government has made huge inroads into the poverty problems it inherited from National. We have made major investments in social policies such as Working for Families and there have been seven increases in minimum wage rates lower medical fees and more Modern Apprenticeships. 
 Since Labour came to power 62000 fewer children are living in households claiming a main benefit. Child poverty rates fell from 27 to 21 percent in the 3 years to 2004. Working for Families is predicted to reduce child poverty by up to 70 percent. There are 2.1 million Kiwis in paid employment—an increase of 340000 since 1999. Unemployment is now down to 3.7 percent. As of June 2006 there were 9171 Modern Apprenticeships—13 percent more than in 2005—and 123302 industry trainees overall. Two thousand three hundred workers have completed their Modern Apprenticeships since the year 2000. 
I plan to speak today about the challenge of sustainable strategies for our families and our communities. The different approaches the Government and the Opposition have taken to social policy are based on two contrasting world views and two contrasting political philosophies. The Government’s approach is to support the development of strong independent families and communities that contribute to the social and economic development of a strong independent nation. 
In contrast there has been a lot of talk from the Opposition about charity and some politicians have recently discovered poor people who apparently deserve our charity. In the English language we have the expression: “As cold as charity.” The idea that charity is a loveless gift given to the deserving poor comes out of the 19th century liberal tradition in which the rich were encouraged to give some of their private wealth to the poor no matter that their accumulation of wealth had created poverty and inequality. This patronising act of charity reinforced the gap between the rich and the poor. It individualised giving and it broke up communities. It is interesting how old ideas are recycled. It is not surprising to me that the inheritors of the liberal tradition—the neo-liberals of today whose accumulation of wealth has created poverty and inequality—are talking about charity and making visits to the deserving poor in their mean streets. It saddens me to see that the noble idea of true charity as a loving gift has been debased. 
The scholars amongst us will know that the word “charity” has its origins in the Latin “caritas” and the Greek “agape”. Closer to home in Maori it is “aroha” in Samoan it is “alofa” in Tongan it is “ofa” in the Cook Islands it is “aroa” in Hawaii it is “aloha” and it translates as “a loving gift”. In each of these languages the idea of charity is bound to the concept of love and selfless giving. 
It was in 1935 that the first Labour Government established a system of social security provided by the State to support those in need. Michael Joseph Savage referred to social security as “applied Christianity”. Social security provided citizens with entitlements so that they did not have to beg for charity from the wealthy in their times of need. Today there are many programmes funded by our Labour-led Government designed to address the causes of poverty and to empower citizens and communities to stand tall and help themselves. The Labour-led Government is committed to supporting strong healthy independent and sustainable communities—that is the Kiwi way. 
Recently the Government launched the new Charities Register to increase transparency of charitable organisations and to strengthen the public’s trust and confidence in the charitable sector. It will do this by ensuring that only genuine charities gain registration—that is those organisations that advance religion relieve poverty or have a purpose that is otherwise beneficial to the community as their main purpose. Charitable organisations that are putting love back into charity deserve our support. Gone are the days where people have to beg for charity. But if the Opposition gets a chance to implement its economic and social policies where privatisation of Government services and private charity are the preferred approaches we will see a return to the social problems of the 1990s. 
It is easy to forget the impact of the economic restructuring of the 1990s on Maori Pacific people women and ordinary working people. In 1999 the economics professor Carl Davidson noted: “… the Pacific Island workforce has been more damaged by economic policy changes than any other group in New Zealand. The sharp decline in the economic status of the Pacific Island community in recent years through unemployment and the reduction of social welfare benefits has had profoundly negative effects. Cultural dislocation is no longer offset by reasonably high incomes; welfare dependency has damaged their collective sense of self-worth; and there has been an overall deterioration of their standards of living and their physical and psychological health.” 
The Labour-led Government has done much to turn that round and turn round the impact of the economic and social policies of the 1990s. Working for Families will have brought at least 130000 children out of income poverty. Latest figures show that unemployment has dropped to 3.7 percent. The latest December quarter 2006 benefit figures show that 62735 fewer children are living in a household that claims the benefit. The Fruit in Schools programme gives 57000 students access to fruit and nutrition after being extended to 268 schools from October last year. Our challenge now is to build on those achievements and sustain them in the future. We have seen a huge change in our communities with more people than ever before moving into work. 
 Importantly these gains are shared with all regions of New Zealand. This has happened on the back of sound management of the economy leading to strong economic growth. Unemployment benefit numbers in my Mana electorate have fallen by 20 percent in the last year. The drop is further evidence of a strong economy across New Zealand and across the regions. Times are better because people are getting off the benefit and into work. We have had good jobs growth and an overall reduction of people on any kind of benefit. The labour market is still tight but our local economy is in good shape. 
I want to end on this note. When people are in work they participate in the community they contribute more and they add to the social capital. I am very very proud indeed to be part of a Labour-led Government that has turned the policies of the 1990s round. Yes we have more work to do but I am proud. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Members are advised that the United Future party is splitting its call. For the benefit of the members involved I will ring the bell with 1 minute remaining.