Turia Tariana: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Turia Tariana: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:670;Page:16508] 
Hon TARIANA TURIA (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
:  
Tenei te mihi atu ki te whaene Pimia We’i kua ngaro ki te po e takoto ana ki Waihirere Marae te wa’ine o Ngapo We’i. Na reira e te mareikura e te kuia ’aere atu ra. 
[ 
I acknowledge the death of aunty Pimia Wehi beloved wife of Ngapo Wehi who lies in state at Waihirere Marae. Farewell noble matriarch and grandmother 
.] 
First of all I take the opportunity to mihi to my colleague Metiria Turei for sharing with us the story of her dad who was a mokopuna and uri o te Kahui Maunga no Hiruharama no te awa o W’anganui. Ka nui te mihi rawa atu ki a koe Metiria. 
[ 
a grandchild from Jerusalem and the W’anganui River and a descendant of the Cluster of Mountains. I acknowledge you greatly Metiria 
.] 
The Maori Party implores this Parliament to wake up to the age-old crisis associated with the lack of social investment. It brings no joy to my heart to see headlines such as those in the  
Taranaki Daily News 
 just 3 days ago: “Maori worst-off in jobless figures”. The Maori unemployment rate is now more than double the unemployment rate for all ethnicities and it is particularly marked for our young. I stand here feeling almost ashamed given that I have responsibility for young Maori and young Pacific unemployment. 
But as every politician in this House knows the appalling statistics of Maori unemployment are not a new song of the last 2 years only. When we cast our minds back over the past decades we see that the figures have been consistently depressing the worst being those of the 1980s. There was high youth Maori and Pacific unemployment during the years of so-called plenty in the 2000s. As for Maori nurses working in the non-governmental organisation sector there was no pay parity for them in the years of plenty. Those issues represent Governments that have routinely failed Maori and failed this country. 
The Maori Party spoke of that history when we were a party of one member and when we were a party on the benches of Opposition and we speak of it now as a party in a coalition arrangement with the Government. We speak of that history to remind the House that we must all own the structural factors that have led to system breakdown. Why is it that in a time of plenty the previous Labour Government did so little to address the collateral damage of Maori and Pacific unemployment? Why is it that in a National Government so ready to talk about building the conditions for more enduring and better-paid jobs there is seemingly such an unwillingness to be bold enough to invest in rangata’i Maori to equip them to be the leaders of tomorrow? 
Of course I could take us back much further to assess the impacts of the price of citizenship the loss of land the myth that employment would come from the waves of urban migration the pain of betrayal from political parties which carried our boat with careless disregard and generations of aspirations unfulfilled and expectations unrealised. But we have always known that it could be—it should be—so different. 
In the very first Maori Party speech in this Parliament on 27 July 2004 I spoke about why a Maori Party was so important: “Ko tenei te wa o te Ao Maori. It is time to look to ourselves. That is how we are different from other political parties. We are a political movement creating change from the people up and our policies reflect that. Our politicians will not be telling you what is good for you. Our politicians will be listening to you for that.” Those words are as relevant today as they were then. We are a proudly self-determining people who were devising our own solutions and creating our strategies long before the State considered welfare reform to be the answer. 
It is time for a bold Government to orientate itself to the biggest challenge of our time—social investment in our future. What we put off today will threaten our tomorrow. Every party knows that there is a large number of young people who have been failed by the system. Anyone can point the finger at families at Government and at politicians for where we have all gone wrong but who will be brave enough to turn that finger back on themselves to face up to their responsibilities and to make decisions on what is right fair and just rather than out of political expediency? 
What we really need are solutions that will be enduring. We all know that so many of our w’anau both tangata w’enua and Pacific nations are fighting for their survival. They are working two or three jobs just to tread water and their income levels are insufficient for them to stay afloat. That is why the Maori Party has consistently raised with both Labour and National the point that if they really wanted to make a difference they would raise the minimum wage. We called for the minimum wage to be lifted to at least two-thirds of the average wage which conservatively calculated would be at least $15 an hour. If we are really dedicated to our pursuit of economic transformation low wages cannot be tolerated. 
And what do we get? A miserable 25c. The argument is always the same: that minimum wage growth above $13 will constrain employment growth. We need to be able to demonstrate that we will protect workers on low incomes that we will value fairness that we will reduce the gross income-inequalities and that we will incentivise workers to maintain participation in the labour market. 
But we need to do more than raise incomes and create jobs. We must take seriously all the evidence that tells us that education will be the driver of opportunity and that culture counts. We know what works but we must provide authentic cultural learning environments for our children. We must acknowledge that this is a systemic issue and that we have the power to change it. 
We need to focus on science and innovation to create long-term jobs for our rangata’i who have a right to be included and seen for their potential and for what they can do rather than for what they cannot. We need to learn from the example of schools like Clover Park Middle School and Te Whanau o Tupuranga in Auckland which take up the responsibility to right the wrongs. They understand the importance of contributing to the development of a strong secure cultural identity in their students as integral to successful participation and achievement. 
I want to address some of the misinformation that has come into the public arena about the coalition arrangement that our members agreed to take up. Our constituents thought long and hard about whether it was better to spend our days in anger bemoaning what could have been or whether we should do all that we could to make a difference for our w’anau hapu and iwi by taking on the challenge of government. 
Let me assure the House that we have not been a docile partner by any means. We have fought the line and we have put the case with all the vigour that our people expected of us to set a better foundation for our tamariki and mokopuna. All I want to say is that the Labour Party is in no position to exploit our situation for political gain. There would not be a party in the House that has not experienced conflict within its midst. 
Finally I return to the challenge given to us by matua Whatarangi Winiata who told us that the most important task we had in Parliament was to work for the survival of our people. We will do whatever it takes to focus on that goal. We will form alliances we will reach agreements and we will demand the very highest standards of ourselves as a team because this is the greatest opportunity that we have to make a difference. We know that if our people survive and flourish our country will only be the better for it and that is why we have travelled so constantly and so far afield in order to bring the people’s voices into this Chamber. 
We have sat in the company of Maori providers we have seen at firsthand the success of Maori businesses and we have learnt about the innovative approaches being taken by w’anau Maori. We have brought those stories to the table and we have trusted our people investing in their sense of self-belief and building on their impressive resilience in the context of their w’anau hapu and iwi. All that we ask of any Government is that it too invest in our success by placing its trust in the power of the people to do for themselves. Kia ora.