Paraone Pita: Budget DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeParaone Pita: Budget Debate[Sitting date: 31 May 2016. Volume:714;Page:11507. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]PITA PARAONE (NZ First): Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker. I am glad I have got this opportunity to speak in this debate knowing that the people of Auckland are locked in the gridlocks of the motorways in and around that big city trying to get home and listening to this debate.Although members on the other side from the Government benches have waxed lyrical on how good this Budget has been for this country can I say that it fails to respond to the real issues. Poverty homelessness unemployment health and education are all issues that this Budget has failed to address. It is often said that as the economic path of a country rises so does the level of social injustice and that is what we are seeing because this Budget is for only a few. It has often been said that this Government has helped only its friends and the social injustices that we are seeing in this country today is evidence of that. Breaking news—at this very moment there is a 15-day-old prematurely born baby living at Te Puea Marae and that is a very very sad indictment of this Government.Although those members wax lyrical on what they have done under this Budget can I say that they have an obligation to do that. For goodness’ sake—they are the Government—they are required to provide resources to meet the social injustices that this country is currently facing.When the Budget was announced last week we heard the Minister for Māori Development taking the opportunity to extol just how good he was knowing that the previous year he took a humble approach. Well can I say to the Minister that under his watch unemployment for Māori has risen homelessness rates have risen for Māori and similarly for trends in health and in terms of education. The social indices show that it has not worked for Māori in terms of this Government and I think it is a sad indictment for us to be extolling just how good our Budget for 2016 has been.I have heard the comment about the Māori language. I too support the Māori language but $34 million? And it is being given to a department to administer when over the last 5 years it has underspent the budget that it has been given over that period. Thirty-four million dollars could house a lot of people. It can provide a lot of employment.We have heard the Government say that people are coming back from Australia because the economy here is good. Can I say that they are coming back because Australia does not provide them with the same social services that we provide for its citizens who decide to relocate here. So the Anzac spirit is somewhat lost and what has the Government done for our relatives who live on that side of the Ditch so to speak? Nothing. And they are coming back to what? Something similar.Can I say that although this Government might say that it has an aspirational approach to improving the lot of people in our country I say to those members that they have an obligation to do so.I just want to conclude by saying that with regard to the partial funding for housing the Westpac reports suggest that 11000 new homes are required over the next 10 years. This Budget has provided only 11000. So can I suggest to those people who are listening that this Government has not provided too much under this 2016 Budget. Kia ora.