Flavell Te Ururoa: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:674;Page:20442] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Chair. Tena koe e te Minita e whakaki i te turu o te Minita i tenei po. Ka nui te mihi ki a koe. I tenei tau tonu nei i te marama o Maehe i puta tetahi korero i a Iris Pahau mai i te Coalition to End Homelessness. I roto i tera purongo i mea mai e 80 paiheneti o te hunga noho kore whare no ngai Maori—80 paiheneti no ngai Maori. I te korero ia i tetahi hui a-tau hui a-motu ki te whakakore i tenei mea te kore kainga ka mutu i puta me ki te uauatanga o tenei momo ahuatanga ki runga i nga mea o Aotearoa nei. I puta te korero ara no nga rau tangata e noho nei e ai ki nga korero rough sleepers ko te hunga noho kore whare nei kore wahi nei; i roto o Tamaki-makau-rau. Ka tapirihia atu ko nga mano tangata e noho nei i roto i nga boarding houses motor camps me ki i raro i te parirau o te mea temporary accommodation. Tapirihia atu ko te 4722 tangata o roto i te tatauranga a-motu e noho nei i roto i nga whare 2295 o nga whare karukaru nei me te 43000 whare e noho kopa nei katahi ka mohio tonu ki te ahuatanga o tenei mea ki runga i te motu whanui tonu me te Ao Maori. 
I tenei tau tonu nei i roto o Otautahi kai te mohio tonu tatau i pangia katoatia a Otautahi na runga i te ahuatanga o te ru o te whenua ka mutu ko te wahanga o nga whare he wahanga i tino rongo nei i te ngau o nga uauatanga o te ru nga mahi a Ruaumoko. Kai te tino whakaae atu au ka mutu e tika ana te aronga o te Social Services Committee me ta ratou titiro ki te wahanga whare me te mea ano hoki me titiro hohonu nei ki te ahuatanga o te ru o te whenua ki runga o Otautahi. Me penei rawa te korero kai te tino mihi te Pati Maori ki te Minita mo nga Whare mo tana whakarongo mai ki wa matou korero ki a ia me tana tautoko mai ko ta matou e whakatakoto mai ki mua i a ia me te hunga e noho mai ra i roto o Otautahi ki Te Tai Tonga. I puta te korero i taku hoa i a Rahui Katene mo te hunga me ki i nuku na te ru o te whenua ka whai wahi ratau hei wahi noho a te wa. Na runga i te aha? Na runga i te whakatau o te Minita. A kai te mohio tonu tatau pea i puta noa atu etahi o roto o Otautahi ki wahi ke. I pera ano hoki ki a au. I haere etahi ki roto i a au o te Waiariki. Ko etahi o wa ratau tamariki e haere nei ki roto i nga kura kaupapa Maori ara nei i roto i a au o te Waiariki. No reira kai te mohio tonu tatau he wa uaua tenei mo te hunga e noho nei i roto o Otautahi. 
Kati me hoki mai au ki te putake o tenei mea o te kore kainga. Ko tetahi o nga korero i puta i tera o nga hui na te Iris Pahau nei tenei korero kia kaua tatau e titiro noa iho me ki ki te emergency housing me te iti o te utu mo te whare. Ko tana ke me titiro ki te pikitia nui ara te whakahoki i nga mea kore whare nei ki roto i te whanau ki te hapu. Me hono ano ratau ki o ratau ake hapu ki o ratau whanau. No reira me ki whai muri i tera me titiro tatau ki tenei mea te social housing. I roto i te komiti whaiti ara te select committee ko ta ratau e ki nei e 24 miriona taara kua whakatahangia mo te social housing engari 1 hau 8 kua whakatahangia mo te iwi Maori. E ahua papouri au ki tera momo korero. 
Engari ko te tetahi mea pai kua kite atu me ki ko etahi ropu Maori o roto i te takiwa e hiahia ana ki te whakahaere i nga whare o roto ake rohe. Na me korero au mo roto o te Waiariki ara mo te ropu e kia ana ko te Ngati Awa Group Holdings. Kai te mohio te Minita ki tenei momo kamupene ka mutu ko ta ratau hiahia ki te hoko mai i nga whare o te Housing New Zealand Corporation mo te rohe ra. Ka mutu i korero au mo te Ngati Awa Group Holdings ara ano a Mangatawa Papamoa Block Inc. Ko taua ahua ano tae atu ki te Runanaga o Ngati Awa ratau katoa me ki nga ropu Maori ko ta ratau hiahia kia hoko i etahi o nga whare o te wahanga whare o te takiwa o Whakatane kia taea e ratau te whakahaere i nga whare e pa ana ki a ratau ake ara ko nga Maori e noho mai ki reira. No reira he pai tera ki a au kia riro ma te Maori ano a Maori e whakarite i nga whare tonu kia ngawari mai ai te noho i te takiwa. 
Ko ta matau ko te tautoko i te korero a nga tangata penei i a Mark Solomon me tana ki atu ko wai atu i te Maori kia noho hai hoa haere mo te Kawanatanga i roto i nga mahi hokohoko? Ko wai atu i te Maori? I tenei ra me ki ko te International Day of the World’s Indigenous People ki taku mohio he ra pai tenei hei whakanui i tera ahuatanga. Kia taea ai e te Ao Maori te noho hai hoa haere mo te Kawanatanga ka tahi ki te hoko i nga whare ka rua ki te whakahaere i nga whare ka whiwhi i a ratau. No reira me pena rawa pea tera whakaaro whakatakotohia ki mua i te aroaro o te Minita mana tena e wananga hei te wa. No reira koia tera. 
Ki taku mohio i tenei wa rahi ake i te 300 kainga whare ranei e pera ano te ahua. He aha te he o te noho a-hoa haere o te Maori me te Kawanatanga. No reira kati ake ka waiho tera korero ki te Minita hei wetewete i te mea a kei te mohio tonu ia ki te ahuatanga o te whakahaere o Te Runanaga o Ngati Awa na runga i tana hoa tata nei ka mutu ko te Ngati Awa Group Holdings pera rawa te ahua. No reira kaore he he o te korero i enei take a te wa. Ka waiho tera korero ki reira a e te Whare kia ora tatau katoa. 
[ 
Thank you Mr Chair. Greetings to you the Minister in the chair who is filling in for the Minister tonight. Much regards to you. In March this year Iris Pahau from the Coalition to End Homelessness stated that 80 percent of those without homes were Maori—80 percent were Maori. She was speaking at a national annual conference to end homelessness where the difficulty of this kind of situation for those here in New Zealand became a reality. It was reported that a few hundred so-called rough sleepers were those who were homeless and of no fixed abode—particularly in Auckland—as well as the several thousands of people living in boarding houses and motor camps under the wing of this thing called temporary accommodation. In addition 4722 people were recorded in the last census as living in some 2295 run-down dwellings plus more than 43000 overcrowded households making us aware of the sheer enormity of this thing upon the country at large and in particular upon Maoridom. 
Christchurch and the housing sector this year really felt the full impact and difficulties created by earthquakes by the work of the earthquake god. At the end of it all I agree totally that the key focus for the Social Services Committee in examining Vote Housing should be to consider the effects of earthquakes on Canterbury in general. I want to say how much the Maori Party appreciates the way the Minister of Housing listened to what we had to say and put before him about the situation in respect of our people housed in Christchurch and the South Island. My colleague Rahui Katene referred to those who relocated because of earthquakes and who eventually found accommodation elsewhere. What brought this about? The Minister made it happen. It was like that for me as well. Some came to live within my Waiariki electorate and some of their Maori-medium schoolchildren attended our Maori-medium schools in my electorate. So we are very much aware that this is a difficult time for those residents in Christchurch.  
Let me go back to the cause of this thing: homelessness. One of the statements made by Iris Pahau that emerged from that conference was that we should not restrict ourselves to just emergency housing as being the affordable option. She insisted that we should be looking at the bigger picture and getting Maori without homes to go back to family and subtribal roots. They must reconnect with their very own family and subtribe. It is only when that option has been fully explored that we look at this thing called social housing. The select committee reported that $24 million had been set aside for social housing but of that amount only one-eighth was set aside for Maori people. I was somewhat disappointed with that.  
But a positive thing I see is that there are Maori organisations of influence about the region wanting to manage State housing in their own area. I will talk about the ones in Waiariki about the organisation called Ngati Awa Group Holdings. The Minister is aware of this type of company which furthermore wants to purchase Housing New Zealand Corporation houses for that region in particular. I talked about Ngati Awa Group Holdings but there is the Mangatawa Papamoa Block Inc. as well. It wants to do the same thing including the Runanga of Ngati Awa. All of them all Maori organisations want to purchase Housing New Zealand Corporation stock in the Whakatane District so that they can administer houses that belong to them and Maori people living there. That appeals to me. Maori can make decisions for Maori in relation to houses and live comfortably there in the district.  
Our part is to endorse the statement made by people like Mark Solomon who asked who else other than Maori should partner the Government in terms of commercial ventures. Who else but Maori? To me with this day being the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People it is a great day to celebrate that partnership. Maoridom will be able to work in tandem with the Government which is one; purchase houses which is two; and administer what they obtain. That is how that concept should be dealt to. Put it before the Minister for him to address in time. That is that.  
At this very moment I understand there are over 300 suitable properties or houses available. So what is wrong with Maori working alongside the Government as partners? Enough said; I will leave that for the Minister to mull over. Besides he is aware just how capable Te Runanga o Ngati Awa is because of his close colleague here. Furthermore the case for Ngati Awa Group Holdings is the same. So there is not a problem when it comes to the time when these matters are discussed in future. I leave that talk there and extend greetings to us all the House. 
] 
Vote agreed to.