Katene Rahui: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
Katene Rahui: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:653;Page:2464] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 In 2007 during the period of this financial review the Maori youth unemployment rate was a massive 23.7 percent. As this Chamber will know the youth unemployment rate records the number of unemployed youth aged between 15 to 19 years divided by the total number of youths in the labour market aged between 15 to 19 years. For the European population the rate was only 11.4 percent. That is a 12.3 percentage difference. The Maori youth rate is more than twice as high as the European one. 
I want to set the context for looking at the review of the Ministry of Social Development by placing our rangatahi firmly in the centre. At this point in time there are almost 4000 young Maori job seekers out there. In the Maori Party our biggest concern is that they are active and engaged in further education training and employment in society. The report of the Social Services Committee into the financial review of the ministry gave considerable focus to the area of unemployment. It is of interest that just as the previous Government ignored the very substantial inequalities related to the Maori unemployment rate so too did the committee’s report. It is silent on the Maori rate. This is of such concern because the committee’s report puts the microscope on to the strategies in place to prepare for a possibly large rise in unemployment. 
It was interesting to hear of the twin dilemmas facing the ministry: the challenge of being able to absorb unemployed people while also staying on top of its workload. We know that the ministry prides itself on measures such as being able to quickly place job seekers into either a transition service or a training seminar within the space of 28 days. For us we think those measures are vital to keeping the workforce dynamic and to responding quickly to the needs of the people. But we simply say that if we value the diverse populations that comprise the New Zealand workforce we must ensure their specific needs are considered. 
There is no dispute that Maori unemployment given all available scenarios is likely to be at least double the general rate. Te Puni Kokiri suggests that Maori unemployment will rise from 8 percent to something like 12 to 15 percent by the middle of next year. We know the history and we also know that the initial signs of an economic slow-down are being felt in construction tourism and primary industries. Those are all industries in which Maori are strongly represented. We know the dramatic overrepresentation amongst Maori youth. 
With all of this information in front of us it was disappointing that not one of the Labour Green or National members on the Social Services Committee raised issues to do with Maori unemployment. Fortunately we are now in the position where a Maori Party Minister the Hon Tariana Turia has the delegated responsibility for Maori and Pacific employment issues within the social development portfolio. I believe that this is a very positive development for Aotearoa. 
Mrs Turia is someone who used to be the southern regional coordinator of the Maori Access training programme who managed the Whanganui Regional Development Board Trust who was a service broker for Te Puni Kokiri and who was a founding team member of the Te Awa Youth Trust. Above all she is someone who is passionate about whanau ora. I am optimistic that the genuine concern Mrs Turia has for Maori and Pasifika employment will be vital in ensuring that the Ministry of Social Development in preparing for unemployment truly prepares for the needs of all New Zealanders in managing any rise in unemployment beneficiaries over the next year. 
There are hard times ahead; none of us deny that. The key point I have been making within our communities is that the onus of responsibility must not be that of the State alone. This is the ideal time for collaboration to be the buzzword. It is good to see in the committee report that the ministry is developing industry partnership with a large number of companies and industries. What we in the Maori Party would like to see is the initiative taken to establish partnerships with iwi and Maori-owned business enterprises to achieve better employment outcomes for all Maori and in particular youth. There are iwi out there with all the infrastructure and enormous enthusiasm for working together to mitigate the impacts arising from the recession. Thank you.