Flavell Te Ururoa: Social Assistance (Payment of New Zealand Superannuation and Veterans Pension Overseas) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Social Assistance (Payment of New Zealand Superannuation and Veterans Pension Overseas) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:653;Page:2248] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
:  
A tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Kia ora tatau e te Whare kia ora tatau i tenei po. Ara ano te whainga matua te matapono ranei o te ao Maori ara ko te whakanui ko te whakamana i te hunga kuia koroua ranei. Kei te putake ratau o nga tumanako ko ratau tonu te tauira mo te whakatipuranga hou. No reira he oranga ngakau kua tae mai tatau ki tenei pire. Kai te tautoko ake matau i tenei pire i te mea he hangai tonu ana ki te tiaki i tenei ahuatanga o te tiaki me te manaaki i te hunga koeke me te hunga tumatauenga me ki. Me ki ko te ahuatanga o tenei pire he mea kua roa e korerohia ana e te Pati Maori ara kia whakahou i te hiahia kia whakarahi ake kia whakapiki ake te utu a superannuation tae ra ano ki te hunga kua haere ki tawahi me te mohio ano hoki me whakaheke whakararo te taumata a-tau nei mo nga ropu e mate moata ana ki tera o te wa o te nuinga o te rahinga me ki. 
Kua roa te Pati Maori e korero ana kia heke whakararo me ki te tau e ahei ai te nuinga ki te whiwhi i te peneihana tenei mea te superannuation ki te 60 tau mo nga ropu me ki e moata rawa te mate. Me ki i te katoa o te motu mo te ao Maori me ki nga ahuatanga katoa kai raro tonu te ao Maori e putu ana. Me ki ka mate te ao Maori te nuinga o te wa tekau tau i mua noa atu o te ao Pakeha. Ko ta matau e ki nei he pai ke me whakaheke te tau e ahei ai te tangata whiwhi penihana te putea ranei a ka mutu he painga ano ra ka puta ki nga mea katoa o Aotearoa nei. Mo te ao Maori me ki nga tatauranga o te ao Maori 4 ira 5 pai heneti o matau kua eke ki te 65 tau pakeke noa atu ranei. No reira ki taku mohio taku titiro ko tetahi o tera hunga me ki te 28260 o te ao Maori nei he mema tonu o roto i tenei Whare Paremata. Me ki mo te hunga Pakeha 14 ira 5 pai heneti kua eke ki te 65 tau pakeke noa atu ranei. Me ki penei au o te hunga makawe hiriwa o Aotearoa 5 ira 3 pai heneti o te katoa o Aotearoa kua eke ki te 65 tau pakeke atu ranei he Maori tonu. 
E rua nga take nunui kei roto i enei kaute. Tuatahi e ai ki nga korero whakatau tata me ki ki te 6500 Maori o te 65 tau pakeke noa atu ranei kai Ahitereiria e noho ana. Tuarua e ai ano ra ki nga tatauranga kua rahi ake te hunga koeke Maori a nga tau tata kai mua i te aroaro ara mai i nga tekau tau e 2 e 3 ranei kai mua i te aroaro. No reira ara noa atu nga take e tika ana kia whakariterite tatau i a tatau ano mo nga tau kai mua i te aroaro. Mo te aha? Mo te hauora o te ao Maori i Aotearoa nei. Ehara i te mea kai te whakaaro noa ake matau mo Aotearoa me tona kotahi i roto i te ture nei. Kei te titiro ano hoki matou ki nga Kuki Airini ki Whiti ki Kiripati ki Niue ki Hamoa ki Tokerau ki Tonga ki Tuvalu Vanuatu me etahi atu me ki o Te Moana Nui A Kiwa i whakaingoatia i roto i te New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Act o te tau 2001. 
No reira ko te painga o tenei pire e ahei ana te hunga koeke me ki me te hunga tumatauenga te hunga e hiahia ana ki te haere ki tawahi ki reira noho ai e haere ai ranei. Mena karekau he kirimana i waenganui i a Aotearoa me tetahi atu mo te utu hauora nei e ahei tonu ana ratau ki te whiwhi i te moni i te putea me te penihana e korerohia ake nei. Ahua whai tonu i te ahuatanga o nga pire pai kua tae mai ki te Whare Paremata nei e whakapai ake nei i te ahuatanga mo te hunga koeke. Ko taku e whakaaro ake nei ko te Social Security (Long-term Residential Care) Amendment Act te SuperGold Card legislation tae ra ano ki etahi putea whakawatea ka ahei mo te hunga nohotahi nga tane wahine ranei kia whiwhi putea tonu ratou. Katoa o enei he ahua pai. No reira he pera ano hoki tenei pirei. Ehara i te mea kua mutu me ki te katoa o nga ahuatanga ka mutu me ngahau tatau. Ko ta te Pati Maori e ki nei mena hiahia ana tatau ki te whakamana i te hunga koeke me te hunga pakeke mena e hiahia ana tatau ki te whakamana i a ratau tae ra ano ki nga mea e tika ana kia whiwhi i a ratau ara noa atu nga mea hai whakariterite ma tatau. A ka mutu ara ano nga mea me ki ka kimihia e te Pati Maori i mua i te aroaro o te Kawanatanga Ko ta matau e ki nei me titiro tatau ki te ahuatanga me ki o te noho-a-whanau o te noho-a-kainga kia ahei ai te hunga pakeke ki te noho atu ki o ratou ake kainga mena e hiahia ana ka mutu kia whai wahi ano ra me ki e wha pea nga wa ki te whakata. 
He mea nui tenei ki a au i te mea kei te mohio tonu au ki te ahuatanga o te tiaki i tetahi o to whanau. I pera rawa te ahuatanga o toku ake tuahine. Ko tona oranga ko tona hauora he mea nui ki a matau o te whanau no reira kai te mohio tonu ahau i tona mutunga mai kia riro ma te whanau te tangata e tiaki. He mea nui tera ki etahi o nga whanau katoa me te mohio ano hoki tera pea mena ka pera ara noa atu nga painga ka puta. Ko te whakakore i te rarangi poka tinana he take nui tera ki a matou. Ka mutu ko te tuku o te kawanatanga i etahi putea mo nga ratonga mate whawhati tata nei me ki kia kaua ke e waiho ake ki roto i nga ringaringa o te hunga mahi kore utu nei. Ko ta matou e pirangi nei me kaha tatau ki te tiaki i te hunga pakeke a ka mutu ko te hauora he kaupapa nui tera ki a ratau me te mohio ano hoki ko tenei mea o te whanau ora ehara i te mea ko te rongoa i tona kotahi ko te mahere whakaora i tona kotahi. 
Ko te whanau ora ko te tiaki me ki te whanau ka mutu ko te whakanui i te whanau ko te whakapakari i te whanau kia whiwhi ratau i nga painga e tika ana i roto i nga ratonga katoa. Me whakanui i a ratou kia taea e ratau te puta me ki ki te whaiao ki te ao marama i runga i te mohio kua ora te tinana. Ko ta matau e pirangi nei ko te whakaora i te wairua o te whanau kia mohio ratau ara noa atu nga huarahi hai whainga kia puta te hauora ki tena ki tena o ratau. A no reira ko taku korero whakamutunga “He tira kaumatua tera te haere na.” Me kaha nei tatau ki te tiaki i wa tatau pakeke te tumanko ia mo te wa roa ka mutu me kaha nei tatau ki te whakaaro ake mo etahi huarahi hou ki te tiaki i wa tatau pakeke kia taea e ratau te tiaki i a ratau ano ka mutu ki te whai i nga huarahi e hiahiatia nei e ratau. Ka tautoko te Pati Maori i tenei pire. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Assistant Speaker; and the House tonight greetings to us. A golden principle within Maoridom is that due and proper respect is accorded to our kuia and kaumatua—our elders. Our older people are the foundations upon which our hope sits; they are literally the walking legacies that we model ourselves on. How pleasing indeed it is therefore that we have come to this bill. We support it because it is about taking due care of superannuitants and veterans. The context for reading this bill is of course a longstanding call that we in the Maori Party have made promoting the need to raise the rate of superannuation and veterans’ pensions while at the same time lowering the entitlement age for groups whose life expectancy is lower than average.  
The Maori Party has always advocated lowering the age of entitlement to New Zealand superannuation to 60 yearsfor groups whose life expectancy is lower than average. The average mortality age for Maori across the socio-economic spectrum is around 10 years earlier than for non-Maori. It is our view that a lower entitlement age will allow more equitable uptake of New Zealand superannuation for all citizens.  
In the Maori population just 4.5 percent of us are 65 years or older—I have very good reason to believe that at least one of that precious community of 28260 older Maori is a current member of this House. In comparison with the non-Maori population 14.5 percent are 65 years or older. Putting it another way in that golden-oldie silver-haired segment of our society only 5.3 percent of the total population who are 65 years or older are Maori.  
But there are a couple of important riders to these demographics. The first is that it is estimated that some 6500 Maori aged 65 years or over are currently living in Australia. The second is the population trends which tell us that the proportion of older Maori will increase quite rapidly over the next two or three decades. Therefore there is every good reason to plan ahead to take ample consideration of the work we need to put in. For what purpose? For the health of Maoridom here in New Zealand —except that it is not just Aotearoa we are thinking of in this legislation. We are also including the Cook Islands Fiji Kiribati Niue Samoa Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu and the other Pacific nations identified in the New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Act 2001.  
This bill will enable superannuitants and veterans pensioners who wish to travel or live in another country where New Zealand does not have agreements relating to reciprocity of social security payments to still have the ability to receive New Zealand superannuation and pension payments. It continues the passage of positive legislation that has advanced opportunities for our elders. I am thinking of the Social Security (Long-term Residential Care) Amendment Act the SuperGold Card legislation and the progress made in extending the eligibility for the single or single living alone rate to include spouses and partners. Those were all initiatives that we were happy to support as we will this bill but that is not to say that everything is polished off and we should celebrate. The Maori Party is of the view that if we really want to value our ageing and older people if we really want to afford them the status they are entitled to then there are many things we need to deal with and will seek to raise with the Government. We believe there needs to be greater investment in whanau-based and home-based care options to enable older people to choose to remain in their homes with access to respite care at least four times a year.  
This is something I have a particular passion for knowing the reality of the enduring challenges we faced as a whanau in the care of my late sister. Her care and ongoing well-being were of absolute priority to us so I am in no doubt whatsoever that whanau care is something many families would love to be able to benefit from. The elimination of surgical waiting lists is an important future goal to us. Also important is the need for Government investment in ensuring the provision of emergency services instead of relyingon voluntary community efforts. We want to see every priority given to our aged and elderly. Excellent health care is a key part of this. 
Of course whanau ora is more than just prescriptions and treatment plans. F 
amily well-being is also about uplifting and strengthening whanau: ensuring whanau are properly resourced and have access to all services invest in themselves participate in society and determine their futures. We want to restore a sense of confidence in whanau that whanau is and can be a meaningful and secure centre from which to care well for one another. So my closing statement is: “That which traverses there is a company of elders.” Let us insist that the path of ageing is steady sustainable and strong. We must be bold enough to think of new ways to care for our aged and elderly in a way that enables them to tend for themselves and to pursue avenues they desire. The Maori Party supports this bill 
.]