Chhour Karen; Rurawhe AdrianKAREN CHHOUR (ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. Yesterday I sat and listened to Willie Jackson and the Māori Party during question time. They were engaged in a debate centred around whether it was fair that Māori only received a Budget allocation of $850 million and whether the Labour Party genuinely cares about equity. Their discussion struck a chord with me prompting me to reflect on the issues that affect all New Zealanders: fairness and equity in our society. I stand before you with a very genuine question a question that's been asked to me around the country by many people: is it fair to have a parallel Budget that specifically targets one race over all others with funding initiatives that can impact all New Zealanders regardless of their race? Housing food mental and physical health and the list goes on. This question also stems from the response I heard from Willie Jackson yesterday who mentioned that other Māori receive what they need through the universal spend. Well I'm uncertain about the specifics of his reference to other Māori". I find myself wondering: if the universal spend is good enough for some Māori why not for all? I can speak to two personal examples that highlight my concerns. Firstly why is it acceptable for me as a Māori to be eligible for a COVID booster shot based solely on my ethnicity while my husband did not qualify? We live under the same roof. We share all the expenses that come with housing and feeding a family of six. How can it be right that I have access to healthcare resources that he does not simply because of our different ethnic backgrounds? How many other households are being divided like this? We need to unite New Zealand behind good ideas not divide them. Secondly I recall a time when I was granted a free parking ticket while I had a child in hospital. It was a small act of kindness during a very difficult time but I did not need the help and was given it without even being asked. When I asked why I was told it was because I was Māori. However sitting next to me was another woman whose husband was unable to visit his child because the cost of parking was too expensive. They did not qualify for the free parking leaving them struggling to be there for their own child during a critical moment. How can we justify decisions like this that are based on race and not need? While I understand the importance of addressing historical injustices and supporting marginalised communities we must make sure that our efforts to rectify past wrongdoings don't unintentionally create new ones. I have no issue with Māori-run services and I think they should be available to those who do want to use them. My question is around how we are funding them. Everyone should be treated fairly and have equal access to opportunities and resources regardless of race or ethnicity. So I just ask this question again respectfully: is it fair to have a parallel Budget that targets one race over all others? What if we consolidated the funding into a universal fund and eliminated the race-based conditions and had an equity index similar to what Labour has proposed in education funding? We could ensure that the resources are allocated where they are needed the most and that not only would it capture Māori in need it would capture all New Zealanders in need without discriminating against any particular group. I understand that this is a complex issue and that people feel passionate about it. I hope that we can have these kinds of debates without being labelled racist because if we can't have these reasoned debates here in the House and bring our thoughts to this table what is the point in all of this? We are in the middle of a cost of living crisis and all New Zealanders are feeling it right now. And I would hope that we can find a balance that promotes fairness justice and unity where irrespective of race or ethnicity we can strive to work together for all of those in need. Thank you Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: I understand this is a split call so I call the Hon Kieran McAnulty."