Harawira Hone: Social Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Harawira Hone: Social Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:656;Page:5735] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
 Kia ora tatou katoa e te Whare. In doing my research on the Social Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Amendment Bill I came across a blog called NiuZila: Land of full fat milk and welfare money 
. 
 I want to share some of its ideas here because it talks about the disgusting abuse that New Zealanders heap upon beneficiaries. It states “Read the mainstream opinion pieces and people on the benefit are castigated as unworthy citizens of New Zealand. They are looked down upon and seen as worthless bludgers on the State. Perhaps it’s a sign of these struggling economic times but where is the empathy in this country? … for the vast majority of people who have unfortunately found themselves on a State benefit it is because they are a victim of their circumstances. Most beneficiary recipients are honest law abiding New Zealand citizens who are struggling day by day and are immensely grateful for Government assistance. As a Samoan Christian I often think about when Jesus said ‘what you do to the least of you you also do to me’.” 
I congratulate Sue Bradford a long-time soldier for our most vulnerable New Zealanders on having the courage to put an idea before the House that will help to make a difference for beneficiaries and superannuitants. It is great timing on her behalf given the release of the report from the Tax Working Group that shows it will be beneficiaries and superannuitants who will be hardest hit by any proposed increases to GST. Sue Bradford’s bill is one way to help to restore the balance. 
The Maori Party knows all too well the frustration and the anger that beneficiaries feel about the current review process. The Ministry of Social Development’s annual reports show that less than 60 percent of the cases scheduled to go before a benefits review committee are heard within the same reporting year. That delay is absolutely unacceptable. On top of that beneficiary advocates tell us that the current system is costly slow and biased. It is not surprising that people think that a benefits review committee is biased because of the three people on it two are Ministry of Social Development staff and the other one is appointed by the Minister. They cannot act with empathy or common sense because they have to comply with the statutory requirements of the Social Security Act. 
As anyone who works in a Maori Party electorate office can tell us the rules that apply in Ministry of Social Development offices are applied unfairly unevenly and inconsistently forcing beneficiaries to engage advocates or lawyers to present their cases thereby clocking up extra debt and putting their households under extreme stress. It all becomes a vicious circle yet the answer is simple: providing an independent voice an outside view to give the transparency and accountability that we all like to talk about in this House. And we must not be afraid of putting the State under scrutiny. A departmental system that is fair and unbiased should feel comfortable about having an independent eye cast on its operations. 
Finally I tell the House that the Maori Party is concerned about the ongoing and consistent allegations of institutional bias against Government departments. The presence operation and effects of institutional racism were highlighted in the 1986 publication  
Puao-te-ata-tu - Daybreak 
 a report by the ministerial advisory committee on a Maori perspective for the Department of Social Welfare. Twenty years on the picture is either unchanged or worse than it was in 1986 so the Maori Party intends to develop a bill on institutional racism which we think will fit very well alongside this one. Kia ora ra Sue. Tena tatou katoa e te Whare.