Laban Luamanuvao Winnie: Address in Reply 
Laban Luamanuvao Winnie: Address in Reply 
[Volume:628;Page:340] 
Hon WINNIE LABAN (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector) 
:  
Kia ora talofa lava and warm Pacific greetings. I offer my best wishes to our Governor-General and my congratulations to Madam Speaker to the Deputy Speaker to you Mr Assistant Speaker and to the other Assistant Speaker on your appointments and to all who have the privilege of serving New Zealand in this House. I thank the Mana electorate for electing me as its member of Parliament and I also thank New Zealand for ensuring that we continue to have a Labour-led Government. 
I am very excited about my ministerial portfolios because they link the social and economic development of New Zealand. As Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector and Associate Minister for Economic Development I have a role in strengthening the roles of the Government and the community in building social capital. As Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment I have a particular role in supporting the New Zealand Pacific Business Council and similar organisations to build financial capital by encouraging two-way trade between New Zealand and the Pacific. As Associate Minister of Pacific Island Affairs I have a role in strengthening opportunities for Pacific people to participate in the future of New Zealand. Each of my portfolios contributes to the social and economic development of New Zealand. One of my goals as the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector is to see that a higher priority is given to the contribution made by the community and voluntary sector to the quality of life for all New Zealanders. This Government has made economic development a priority and in the Speech from the Throne and the contributions from the Prime Minister the Minister of Finance and the Minister for Economic Development the details of how we plan to build the economy have been set out. 
I will talk a little about how we strengthen social capital and the role of civil society in the development of our nation. The community and voluntary sector is a significant driver of social development. It is important because it builds social capital. The term “civil society” is often used to describe the community and voluntary sector. What do we mean by civil society? Civil society can be defined as a social sphere of formal and informal voluntary associations formed to protect and promote the interests of society. Civil society is separate from and independent of the State and the market. Civil society includes service clubs sporting clubs non-governmental organisations neighbourhood groups church and faith-based groups and traditional and cultural communities. New Zealand has a rich tradition of civil society organisations. The Maori Women’s Welfare League Pasifika the Pacific Women’s Organisation the Country Women’s Institutes the Women’s Refuge collective and Rape Crisis centres have all made very important contributions to the development of the women of our nation. 
Allan Wolfe a Canadian social scientist captures the diverse nature of civil society contrasting it with the abstract and personal institutions of the State and the market. Civil society’s concern is with the social rather than the economic and political. Civil society points towards families neighbourhoods voluntary organisations unions and spontaneous grassroots movements. All of those units of social organisations are defined by the fact that they are surrounded by even bigger and more abstract institutions. The crucial characteristic of civil society is that it is manageable available to ordinary people and part of everyday life. To talk of civil society is to reverse the priorities of the political economy. It is to assert that human beings and their desires can alter otherwise determinant structures. 
We look to business and the market to invest and develop financial capital and the State has a role in regulating the economy. But social capital is built up within civil society—within our communities—where voluntary effort freely given enhances our quality of life and makes our communities our towns and our cities better places for us to live. The State in the form of Government agencies dedicated to the community and voluntary sector has an important role to play. Civil society sits alongside the State—the Government—and the market—the business community—as the three main building blocks of a society and a nation. 
In her contribution to the debate the Prime Minister said that we dedicate ourselves to building a strong and confident nation proud of the cohesion in our society proud of our achievers in every field proud of our unique culture heritage and natural environment and proud of the role our nation plays in world affairs. The State the market and civil society need in my view to work closely together respecting each other’s distinct roles. A good example of how the State the market and civil society can work well together was seen when the New Zealand Rugby Union won the hosting rights for the Rugby World Cup. A sporting association—the New Zealand Rugby Union—with solid business links with sponsors and support from the Government in the form of the Prime Minister carried the day. We have learnt in the past that the market by itself does not build a good society and the State cannot either. We need the State the market and civil society working well together in order to build the economic and social development of our nation and to build a strong inclusive nation. 
Helen Clark said last week that we see it as our historic duty to bring New Zealanders together not to drive them apart and split our society. We see it as our historic duty to ensure that every New Zealander has a fair go opportunity and security and that as our country grows and develops every one of us is able to share the fruits of that progress. We dedicate ourselves in this third term of Government to carrying on our work to strengthening and transforming the economy to raise living standards and to provide quality public services. 
I would like now to talk about the contribution of volunteers towards building social capital. On Saturday I spoke with the New Zealand network of regional volunteer centres a great group of hard workers. Volunteering is an important and essential element of civil society. Our communities depend and rely on the efforts of our volunteers. The impact is quite simply huge. But unfortunately volunteers do not receive the recognition they deserve. I want to change that. I believe my role is to raise the bar and to promote volunteering as part of our Kiwi way of life. I will be seeking from my officials innovative ways in which we can support the voluntary sector. Trends in volunteering show that a higher proportion of females than males aged 15 and over engage in some form of voluntary work. From my long history of working in the community and voluntary sector that has certainly been my experience. 
So what is the Government doing so far? The Government policy on volunteering released in December 2002 recognised that volunteers make a vital contribution to social development the economy and the environment. The outcome sought from the policy is a society with a high level of volunteering where the many contributions people make to the common good through volunteering and fulfilment of cultural obligations are actively supported and valued. Many of New Zealand’s essential emergency services including civil defence fire and ambulance conservation and teaching English as a second language contribute in this way. Last year the Minister for Sport and Recreation recognised volunteers as the unsung heroes and lifeblood of sport and he announced funding of $6.5 million to support their work over the next 4 years. I add that with the voluntary sector we have nine established regional volunteer centres and we are very proud of their work. We are committed to supporting them in terms of networking building their information technology capacity and training. 
 On Sunday evening as the MP for Mana I attended the annual awards night of the Trust Porirua City Brass Band. This band makes a great contribution to the life of Porirua City. It turns out on Anzac Day and on other civic occasions. It also supported Michael Campbell on his return home after his historic US Open win. Trust Porirua City Brass is filled with amateurs who play like professionals. Through their voluntary effort they make a great contribution to the quality of life of our city. 
As Minister I will continue to support this sector and give them the support they need to build the social capital of our strong inclusive nation.