Flavell Te Ururoa: Budget Statement — Budget DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFlavell Te Ururoa: Budget Statement — Budget Debate[Sitting date: 26 May 2016. Volume:714;Page:11351. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL (Co-Leader—Māori Party): Kia ora tātou katoa. One year ago when I stood to respond to the Minister of Finance’s Budget speech I stood in absolute humility. I was humble. I did not want to talk the Māori Party up but I just kept it very low key. I did not want to sort of show off in any way shape or form. I did not want to show any sort of arrogance in any way. Well that is over—that is over. It is time to break out because the Māori Party unlike others is here to deliver—not to just talk about it but to deliver it. Budget 2016 has delivered because I heard in that Budget speech “the Māori Party” more than the names of most other political parties in this House and that is why we are here—to get some gain.Budget 2016 for the Māori Party absolutely builds on the gains that we have made by way of whānau whare whenua and whakapapa. All of those themes over the last 8 years have been what we have brought to the Budget and indeed we are sitting next to the National Government as a support party. This year in particular I am really pleased about and we are really proud of the gains that we have been able to make. Whānau Ora is getting an extra $50 million—Marama Fox: $50 million?Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL: —only $50 million—over 4 years. It is now getting up to $72 million every year. Why? Because we make a difference. That is what happens—we make a difference. In terms of building cultural wealth Te Reo Māori investment—$34.6 million to Te Reo Māori. There is additional support to emergency housing and for goodness’ sake we definitely want support in that area—$41.1 million in that area. That is what the Māori Party brings to this Budget.But wait there is more. There is more. The great thing about some of the gains that we have made in this Budget is that they come on the back of the legislation that we have put in front of this House and it is sad that some of the parties in this House do not support Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill. Why? Because we have actually got the money to make it happen. We have also got some more money going into Te Reo Māori. That is where the change will happen.Ever since we have been around what the Māori Party has brought has actually been about bringing innovation and innovative solutions to the table like Whānau Ora. Unlike National and unlike Labour our focus is not middle New Zealand. Our focus unashamedly in Government is to break down the intergenerational disparities between Māori and non-Māori. No other political party on its own has had the courage to face that or to focus on it. The Māori Party has. That mind shift benefits this Government and it benefits the country as a whole. Just consider if the Māori Party had not pushed the whole issue of smoking cessation by way of lifting our taxes by increments by plain packaging getting rid of the advertising of cigarettes in garages and so on. That is the innovation that the Māori Party brings to this Government and indeed to this country.We have worked in good faith with the National Government to introduce initiatives like insulating low-income houses since 2009. In 2010 Whānau Ora came to town and now just this year the once-in-a-generation reform of Māori land law. That is again what we bring to this table. We bring the courage we bring the fortitude and we bring the innovative solutions to the table.The wonderful thing I think about the Māori Party presentation to this Budget is that we have shown faith in our whānau and communities to find the right solutions and we have worked really hard—really hard—to secure the initial resources they need to make a difference. One of the key themes in the Māori Party policies is one called mana motuhake—self-determination—helping Māori and other communities to determine their own destiny with a hand up from the State not a handout. That is our approach in Māori development it is our approach in Whānau Ora and it is our approach in economic development.We a party of two have secured more gains—more gains—for Māori than any other political party in the 8 years we have been a support party. Is that right?Marama Fox: That’s right.Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL: That is right. Just imagine what the Government Budget would have been like without the Māori Party needling it on issues around social development and poverty. Let us put another fact out there: since joining the Government benches the budget for Māori affairs cum Māori development has actually increased by 50 percent. That is right—only 50 percent! It is a shocking total but it is pretty good. I like it—it is pretty good. I like it.Since becoming a support party in Government we have secured and influenced more than $2 billion worth of Budget gains. If some media person had asked me that question before we came in we could have put it out there but I am helping the media today to understand that the Māori Party is bringing something special unique and Māori to this House not just by our presence but in real substantive gains for our people. Whānau Ora since 2010—it had a budget of $45 million but this year it is up to $72 million. I know—$72 million. It is up there. Base benefit increase—$790 million in 2015. It is the first time in 40 years that either side of the House has moved. Why? Because of the Māori Party presence. Free GP visits from age 6 to under 13—why? Because of the Māori Party presence. Warm Up New Zealand rheumatic fever—$20 million in 2014. These are the gains that we bring. We do not talk about it like some; we make it happen—two people make it happen for the best interests of New Zealand.In fact we would have liked a hell of a lot more. We would have liked for example benefit levels to be indexed against the median wage but that might have cost a little bit extra like—Marama Fox: $7.9 billion.Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL: Yes $7.9 billion—a little bit big. A little bit big but that is all right—we will get there.Meka Whaitiri: What about the 12.8 percent Māori unemployment rate?Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL: Oh this is what I was waiting for. I was waiting for the bait. I threw it out there and I knew I would get the hook. Tell me—somebody here please tell me what the Labour Party has delivered for Māori over the last 8 years. Just give me a number. [Interruption] Give me a number. Oh it is a big zero. A big kore kāre kau zero nothing zilch zip—all of the above. Nothing—that is what those members bring. We do not change the whole wide world but I tell you what we do better than that side over there—absolutely.So let us just go back to those four things I talked about leading off: whānau whenua whakapapa and whare. Those are the four pou that we bring to this House. In Budget 2016 I say again we have delivered more than any Labour Party initiative in 8 years. Why? Because Labour is not at the table. It is not in power. Actually I was frightened by the word Mr Peters gave. He said “When we’re in power …”—it is all about power. Actually it is not about the people; it is all about power. That is the problem.This is what we do—we think about the people. That is important for us and that is why we focus on Whānau Ora because Whānau Ora is making a difference for our people. It gets into Māori communities it is delivering the goodies and the wonderful work done up and down the country by Whānau Ora navigators is something we have got to support. We have got to support the Whānau Ora commissioning agencies that are doing the great work.Housing—the Māori housing network is linked to achieving the best outcomes for health and homeownership. Again there is $12.6 million earmarked for the Māori housing network over the next 4 years. That is more than—actually $1 would be more than the Labour Party has delivered in the last 8 years. Just $1 but it cannot even get to that.Te Reo Māori revitalisation—no one will talk to this one because we have delivered the goodies: $12 million over 4 years for Te Mātāwai. Somebody said that there was not going to be any money for Te Mātāwai. Well I am sorry we delivered—I am sorry we delivered. Twelve million dollars over 4 years—$12 million for Māori Television $12 million to support Māori language strategies—all of it all adding up.Just before I close for the Māori Land Service on the back of Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill there is $14.6 million over the next 4 years to design that service. It is all backed up. We set the plan and now we are going to make it happen. That is what the Māori Party brings to this Parliament brings to the National Government and most importantly brings to this country. Tihei mauri ora! Kia ora tātou.