Paraone Pita: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Paraone Pita: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:606;Page:3399] 
PITA PARAONE (NZ First) 
: Tena koe e te Kaiwhakawa koutou hoki nga mema o te Whare nei. 
[Gr 
eetings to you Madam Deputy Speaker and to you as well members of this House 
.] 
I stand to endorse the motion of the leader of New Zealand First the Rt Hon Winston Peters. In so doing I want to say that while the Prime Minister’s statement yesterday might have covered a number of matters of achievement—and I am mindful she did not want to present it to this House—I was more interested in the number of issues the statement did not make. I want to touch on one or two of those. The first one is housing—particularly housing for Maori. I know that that sector of our community has been very staunch in its support for the Labour Government yet how does that Government repay it? How many Maori families have been able to enjoy home ownership under the administration of this Government? I suggest that the number is nowhere near that provided by the former Department of Maori Affairs which a former Government did away with. How does that help iwi in the rural areas of our country? How does that help those of our people living in urban areas? Of course that argument applies not only to Maori but also to all of those who seek housing ownership. I also want to touch on employment. The Government is clearly basking in the reflected glory of the latest figures which show that unemployment is down to 4.9 percent. While I have some doubt about the Government’s claim to be responsible for that my concern is for those who are still unemployed. As part of that concern I ask how many of them are Maori and how many are immigrants who have come to us during this Government’s administration? I suggest that the figures will not be flattering to the Government and that is why there is no mention of them. 
I also want to touch on Maori television. The effectiveness of the support the Government is giving to that kaupapa is somewhat lost when we consider that many of the target audience will have to bear a financial cost to enjoy the privilege of access. Today we heard from the Minister of Maori Affairs who recognised the expertise and knowledge of the new chief executive officer of the Maori Television Service. If that expertise was good enough for the Minister to extol in his comments why were the new chief executive officer’s advice and recommendations not accepted when he suggested that the preferred channel for Maori television should be the one offered by CanWest? I ask that question of members of the Government. 
I also want to touch on health. While I applaud the decision to provide funding on a population basis I raise a question with regard to rural services. They are still an issue and the people of the far North who will no longer have the privilege of 24-hour surgical services will certainly be interested in the integrity of the Government member for Te Tai Tokerau. During the election campaign he promised that 24-hour surgical services would not be cut.  
The other thing missing from the so-called statement of intent from the Government was the issue of prisons. There was no mention of the fact that the Government will be continuing with the construction of prisons around this country. In spite of the strong opposition nothing was said about pressing on not only with prison construction but also with the sites of construction.  
Finally I want to respond to some of the comments made by the member for Tamaki Makaurau. It was very interesting that we had some comments regarding New Zealand First’s Maori members.