Horomia Parekura: General Debate 
Horomia Parekura: General Debate 
[Volume:630;Page:2071] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 I want to reiterate some of the points made by Dr Cullen so that my learned Maori colleague from Auckland can understand the good work that is happening in Maoridom. On 1 April—and there will be only one lot of foolish people around on 1 April and they will be the Opposition—we will see in Working for Families targeted tax credits to Kiwi families to help them raise their children; in student loans the scrapping of interest on student loans for those people who live in New Zealand; in increases to the rate of superannuation the taking care of the old people; in business tax changes the biggest cuts to business taxes since the late 1980s which are in the area needed by the people especially Maori and Pacific Islands people; and in accident compensation the very important Accident Compensation Corporation levy discount programme. 
Working for Families is quite simple. About three in every four New Zealand families with dependent children will be entitled to family assistance tax credits from 1 April this year. That is the most effective way to target and support Maori families. 
There is no doubt that Maori are a unique people. The contributions that Maori make to New Zealand pervade this country. In the last year Maori actors were amongst those who received nominations for the Academy Awards—great actors—a Maori won the US Open golf tournament Maori achieved key positions in the commercial sector in New Zealand and Australia and beat the British Lions solidly in the rugby. So we do not have to pontificate about the heaviness of the past; we are really living in contemporary times and are quite clear and sure on where we want to go. Maori culture reinforces the dynamic identity of Aotearoa New Zealand in the global society and our team over there in the Commonwealth Games is doing the haka so well—they need a few more medals—that it has upset the Aussies. But the distinct difference in this country is those Maori families and Working for Families will ensure that they accelerate and keep up with the opportunities that are around. 
John Key 
: According to the  
New Zealand Herald 
 they are moving to Australia. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: And that is symptomatic of Maori moving to Australia as John Key moved to London in England. He learnt a lot about the money market and interest rates and then he came home. He went away and then he came home. So it is all right for the rich and the well-off but not for people who are determined to find out what it is like to go overseas for the first time. 
I will tell the member about the last major transition in this country. It was in 1950 to 1960 when 86 percent of Maori people lived close to their marae—they lived in the villages as it was perceived by some bureaucrats at the time—and they transferred and came to Wainuiomata and to Otara. That was because the global market at the time required manpower that they never had. 
We are right at the cusp of it now I tell Mr Key and Bill English. They should remember that. We have a growing asset base that the members and their mates should be interested in. We have falling unemployment rates though our climb in the employment area is four times slower than non-Maori—than that member’s people. On 1 April we will replace the child tax credit with the in-work payment. This is not about just taking people off the benefit—dependency. It is about helping those who are in work— 
Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith 
: It’s putting thousands more on a benefit. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Ninety-two percent of those Maori who want to work are in work. The member should wake up. 
The family tax credit will increase from $15000 to $17680. That is a real increase for families who need that support. At last year’s Hui Taumata it was made clear that the path for Maori from dependency to development is through education employment and enterprise. 
In this changing time a dramatic thing is happening in Maori families. If we understand colonisation and if we understand the venturing of new peoples to this land like what is happening now with Asian people we know that a familiar thing happens. The settler society ensures that there is the labour force to provide things like the roadways and the telegraph poles. The constraint on that is that they do not get into the upper levels of business industry or education. 
Contemporary times can be hugely stressful for whanau. They are trying to earn a living gain more skills and new careers and raise a family—they are no different from other people. But the Working for Families package is not about welfare. It is targeted tax relief and it is fair targeted tax relief. It is not for rich mates who get discounts without doing too much hard work. This is a great time for Maori. The Working for Families package is excellent even in Southland.