Horomia Parekura: Taxation (Budget Tax Measures) Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
Horomia Parekura: Taxation (Budget Tax Measures) Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:654;Page:4024] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rawhiti) 
: 
 It was very interesting listening to Mr Dunne’s analysis in relation to KiwiSaver’s mortgage diversion facility. My learned friend the co-leader of the Maori Party Pita Sharples said that I would be lost for words when I saw the Budget come out; I am lost all right because there was nothing in there for Maori. I want to talk about the diversion facility. If members understood what Maori people have been through for the last 150 years they would understand that there has never really been a time apart from when a Labour Government was in office when Maori were able to take up mortgages to ensure a better lot for their families. 
It is interesting that National members could knock out the 2 percent contribution. They perceived that going forward it would impinge on the financial pressures of this country and they removed it. We get to this stage and the only separate thing that is being rushed through that is being tailed on to this tax bill the day after the Budget is getting rid of mortgage diversion. I appreciate that only 600 out of 1 million people have taken it up but Maori people are now tracking up in the unemployment stakes—37000 people—and they are losing everything. 
Paul Quinn 
: In what way? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: There is a new thing going on that is relevant: it is not only the manual labourers but also people like Mr Quinn who are losing their employment. 
The last time that Maori had an opportunity to ensure that they could get mortgages and extend mortgages was when the Labour Government put through benefit capitalisation. This facility was another chance. Michael Cullen said we should not have tax cuts because they would not work and the Labour Government was consistent about that. National has done the biggest flip-flop ever. One minute National was saying tax cuts had to be put through under urgency and now it is taking them away. Taking out mortgage diversion is the same thing. You see KiwiSaver gave Maori workers hope. For once they could start to save like a lot of working Pakehas and Asians in this country. It gave them hope. Then we said we would have a bit of a rest and we pulled the 2 percent contribution. 
A lot of what is going on like the Maori distribution is projected out 10 years or out to 2020. But it is not; it is a purposeful removal to stymie. When 18 jobs are lost in Pahiatua and mortgages are affected this measure certainly affects those people. I appreciated the Minister’s analysis. He said the maximum benefit has been gained by people earning more than $104000. Let me tell him how the Indians bought all the dairies in this country. They clustered together they put their mortgages together and they ensured that they looked after the whanau. What is wrong with that? Why does that not beat the $104000 benchmark? This is about helping people who have and putting aside the Maori people. 
Paul Quinn 
: Another “Parekura-ism”. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: No it is not another “Parekura-ism”. This is about Mr Quinn’s people the people he does not care about. He should sit there and be quiet. He makes believe that this was a Maori Budget but it gave them nothing. We settled Mr Quinn’s Treaty claim He was greasing up in our office. We restructured his trust. We made sure that he could go off and do that. He knows that a lot of his Whakatohea people are being put at a wicked disadvantage. 
Paul Quinn 
: Up a bit—Tuhoe. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Tuhoe or wherever. Mr Quinn who sits there smugly with his mates knows as well as I do that the Budget has broken a lot of promises. In terms of KiwiSaver and mortgage diversion I plead with Mr Dunne that when this bill goes to a select committee— 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: If it does. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: —if it does—he flip-flops back the other way. A lot of Maori are relying on him. The thing that is missing from Mr Dunne’s analysis is that these things have to be given time. What would happen in 5 or 6 years’ time when people have built up their KiwiSaver funds?