Horomia Parekura: Appropriation (2004/05 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
Horomia Parekura: Appropriation (2004/05 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
[Volume:619;Page:14982] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 I rise to commend this Government and the Minister of Finance for this excellent Budget for Maori. It is a Budget that signals the clear commitment of this Government to accelerating the advancement of Maori and not being shy about that. This Government is building a strong and confident nation. This Government recognises that for New Zealand to prosper and progress all individuals and groups have to reach their fullest potential. Providing opportunities for Maori to reach their potential will ensure benefits for all New Zealanders. This Budget will take New Zealand ahead and most important Maori will be leading part of that charge. 
I repeat what I have said earlier this year in the House that I am very proud to be Minister of Maori Affairs in a Government that is leading the transformation of our people. This transformation is integral to the strengthening of our nation and our economy. We have heard two nonsensical and shockingly divisive speeches in the last half a dozen months. The first was at Orewa when someone starting scratching the paternal pathetic race nuances of people. The second was just the other day and it was as bad as the performance of the All Blacks when the Leader of the Opposition went over to Australia trying to play Judas and stabbed his country in the back. That is shocking. This Government is not about divisiveness. It is about moving forward. 
Some members in this House believe that Maori are not a key part of this nation. Some seek to divide the country to exploit their own agenda. But I tell this House that Maori are the tangata whenua. There is no better recent example of Maori culture being at the forefront of New Zealandness than at the Olympic Games where the success of our athletes has been celebrated with the haka. Sometimes I think the haka is wasted on things that do not return good results for our people both for Maori and for New Zealand as a nation. 
This Budget is certainly designed to elevate the profile of Maori from dependency division and grievance to economic and social opportunity. It is about changing attitudes. This Government is shifting the profile of Maori and we need to celebrate the number that are around in relation to what we have done. I have hikoi-ed up and down this country talking about shifting the profile of Maori. Demographic forecasts for the next 50 years show that although New Zealand’s population generally is ageing the Maori and Pacific populations will remain relatively youthful. In fact by 2021 one in five people aged 15 to 39 will be Maori. So we will have a whole lot of Scottish - New Zealand Maori people. The demographic trends of Maori compared with New Zealand’s population highlight the importance of improving the circumstances of Maori families. I know that right now in this country a lot more Maori are going home tonight to put decent food on the table and to talk about the day they spent at work. That has been achieved from the creation of this Government’s policies and this Budget will add to that. 
Let us go over some of the things we have done. Maori unemployment is now at 8.8 percent and tracking down. That is a phenomenal slide from 21.5 percent when we came into Government. That is about closing the gaps that is about making sure that our people get into the labour market. Over 43000 more Maori are now in work than were in 1999. They are working from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or even longer hours. The number of Maori registered as job seekers with Work and Income dropped from 74000 to 40000 and it is continuing to fall. As a significant part of the New Zealand economy the Maori economy contributes $700 million and there are a whole lot of clusters of enterprise whether in Rotoiti Rotorua Tokoroa or Tolaga Bay that are getting together. They are asset-rich and they are not in debt and we intend to ensure that those clusters move forward. 
Since September 2000 the Maori Business Facilitation Service has assisted over 4000 clients. The Maori authority tax review is certainly benefiting those Maori who are trying to accelerate their enterprise and inter-enterprise. Maori enrolments in tertiary education as at May 2004 revealed that the number of Maori enrolled in tertiary training had almost doubled between 1999 and 2003. In 2002 Maori gained almost 20 percent of all qualifications and I certainly enjoyed sitting at Otago University watching a lot of those Maori get certification and degrees of a whole lot of different sizes—not namby-pamby nonsense such as some of those legal experts have over there. They got different sizes that are relevant today.