Harawira Hone: Budget Statement — Budget DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHarawira Hone: Budget Statement — Budget Debate[Sitting date: 16 May 2013. Volume:690;Page:10045. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]HONE HARAWIRA (Leader—Mana): Kia ora Mr Speaker. Tēnā tātou katoa te Whare. In 2011 I made the Feed the Kids campaign Mana’s first ever major campaign. I found that whenever I raised it in the House I noticed that although we all know that child poverty exists politicians were retreating behind glib phrases saying nasty things about bad parenting blaming the global financial crisis or going quiet to fit with the party line. They were refusing to deal honestly and openly with what has become a major disgrace in 21st century Aotearoa.Unfortunately whenever they are in Government both major parties struggle to admit that child poverty is a problem but they happily attack those in power about it as soon as they go into Opposition. So would it not be nice if for once just this once both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition called a joint press conference—and yes Russel Norman Metiria Turei Winston Peters Tariana Turia Pita Sharples and even Peter Dunne could be there too if they wished—to say “On behalf of the Parliament of New Zealand and the people of New Zealand we want to acknowledge a major problem in our society called child poverty. It’s something we’ve been shuffling to the sidelines for too long but today we freely admit that child poverty exists here in Aotearoa. We’re not proud of it—in fact we’re bloody ashamed to admit it—but we’re going to do something about it. And as the leaders of the two major parties in Parliament we want everyone to know that as we move to take up our place as a leading nation in the world we begin that journey by recognising the reality of child poverty and taking steps to eliminate it as the bipartisan priority of the highest order.”Would that not be great? Would that not be something worth cheering for? Would that not be something to be proud of? And just imagine what a difference that would make to those families living on the edge. I mean what value is the trade deal with theUSA or with the military parade in China if when we get home we have still got 270000 kids living below the poverty line?I would love it if we had a Feed the Kids programme at every school in the country so no child missed out with coordinators helping organise local businesses to work with their schools helping families come in to cook and getting people in to teach kids how to make a garden and grow kai prepare kai cook kai and even how to clean up afterwards.To those who say that feeding the kids is the parents’ responsibility I agree with you. But let us agree also that providing the environment where stable families can function well in our society is the Government’s responsibility. The fact is that in 2013 we have whole communities locked into long-term intergenerational unemployment and facing crippling welfare cuts. They are having to deal with rising electricity prices medical charges school fees food bills house rentals and fuel costs. They are worrying themselves sick lest one of their kids gets ill the car breaks down there is a cold snap or they miss the Work and Income New Zealand appointment. On top of that we also have the Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty telling us that poverty is costing the country $6 billion to $8 billion a year that we have 270000 children living in poverty and that some 100000 kids go to school hungry every day.These are not problems caused by bad parenting. These are problems caused by decades of bad economic choices and flawed decision-making at a Government level. Remember it was not the poor who caused the global financial crisis caused the banks to go belly up or bailed out the banks and failed finance companies with taxpayer money. No those were all macro decisions; big-picture choices made not by bad parents but by bad Governments. That is why Governments must honour their responsibility to provide for our most vulnerable citizens the kids until families are able to once again take care of themselves and their children.I would have been happy to support any effort to eliminate child poverty however small because feeding even one child is a good idea. That is why given all the positive comments from the Prime Minister over the past few days and the bragging from the Māori Party about how hard it is fighting for the poor I am bitterly disappointed to see that this Budget has set aside not one cent to deal with child poverty. If I could I would organise Feed the Kids gigs like we had in Ōtara last month right across the north—from Moerewa to Mitimiti from Te Hāpua to Te Atatū and from Whangarei to Whangaparāoa. Then I would take them on the road right across the country just to see happy kids. Nothing beats seeing 2000 kids happy just to get a feed see some celebrities jump around sing and play and go back to school with a full lunch. I am glad we have more time to take this kaupapa on the road and to take another shot at convincing politicians that the Education (Breakfast and Lunch Programmes in Schools) Amendment Bill is worth supporting even if it is just to a select committee—thank you Mr Dunne.While I am talking about kids at school let me talk about what is happening in the field of education—specifically Māori education. Yesterday I blasted the Māori Party for voting for ACT’s charter schools when charter schools will have no accountability to whānau to the Reo or to Te Aho Matua no obligation to put registered teachers in front of our kids and no transparency under the Official Information Act or the Ombudsmen Act. And they are going to get heaps more money than kura kaupapa ever got. Yes of course I can hear Māori calling for different options from mainstream schools but why do you suppose they are doing that? It is because the racist education system we have got right now sucks that is why and because for the last 5 years the Māori Party has done bugger all to change it. That is why.The Māori Party does not have any options. Because it does not have the power to get money for kura kaupapa Māori to keep kotahitanga going or to get manaaki tauira reinstated it is left pasting a Māori name on an ACT policy and then trying to sell it to Māori. I mean really? Charter schools will have no accountability to whānau no commitment to the Reo no responsibility to Te Aho Matua and do not have to accept Māori kids. There will be no appeal if they throw Māori kids out and no obligation to put registered teachers in front of our kids after telling all of our nannies that they cannot teach in kura kaupapa Māori until they got a degree—and the Māori Party calls that a good idea.Instead of attacking me why does the Māori Party not—with its millions of dollars in departmental money and hundreds of staff—actually come up with some basic bottom lines like Mana does? Mana wants a formal commitment from the Government on a date to implement the tribunal’s recommendations on kōhanga reo equal funding for kura kaupapa Māori elimination of the racist rules applied only to kura kaupapa Māori compulsory Māori language in schools specific increases in achievement for Māori students at school specific reductions in suspension and expulsion of Māori students from school reinstatement and expansion of the Te Kotahitanga programme to help teachers understand how to get the best out of Māori students and reinstatement of the manaaki tauira funding to help all Māori students get into university.Mana will work with anyone to help grow Māori medium education and develop viable policies for mainstream education but know this: anyone wanting to call themselves a Māori party and talk so much about kaupapa Māori should be ready to be congratulated on their ability and challenged on their inability to deliver on kura kaupapa Māori. The Māori Party got nothing in last year’s Budget for kura kaupapa and to nobody’s great surprise it got nothing in this year’s Budget either.In terms of housing let us be clear: Aotearoa has a housing crisis fuelled by property speculators and supported by this Government’s refusal to impose a meaningful capital gains tax that would force the speculators to offload properties and put houses back on the market. This would lower house prices enable first-home buyers to buy in the affordable housing market that the Government is talking about and allow the Government to build proper homes for those on low incomes—because that is where the real need is—as a commitment to ensuring that every family in Aotearoa has a warm and comfortable home to live in and then develop a home purchase programme based on the same universal family benefit that gave every Kiwi an opportunity to own their own home and made Aotearoa such a great place to live. The need exists at the bottom end and that is where the change has to take place.What is required is a simpler more committed strategy. Impose capital gains tax on those with two or more properties to bring more houses on to the market at a price that enables first-home buyers to get in. Build 10000 State houses a year for the next 10 years for families on low incomes with a policy that encourages tenants to plan for home purchases and enables them to do so through a universal family benefit. Apart from a commitment for more money to fight rheumatic fever this Budget has nothing but crumbs to deal with the massive problems facing Māori Pasifika and Pākehā people struggling to make ends meet or deal with the ever-growing plight of our hungry children. As far as this Budget is concerned all we wanted was to feed the kids. We did not get even crumbs for kids. Kia ora tātou.