Mahuta NanaiaHon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister for Māori Development): That contribution was from a member who sat around the Cabinet table and let sewage seep through Middlemore Hospital and did nothing about it. It's a bit rich to start pointing the finger in Opposition and showing care and responsibility but here's the question: how many times did that member sit within the context of his Cabinet in the previous administration and address nurse settlements? How many times? Nothing. I can't hear anything. Don't believe anything that that member has said because we know and the polls show that while there is more to do people feel generally pleased that we are focusing in the right direction.I am proud of our Government because just as the Prime Minister said in her speech we're a Government that is prepared to lead not follow not tread water not just govern and that means doing things differently. I'm proud of our Government because we are a coalition confidence and supply Government—a truly MMP style of Government—that is prepared to work differently within the context of the things that we are leading for and on behalf of New Zealanders so that everybody feels the benefit. And there's the test: that everybody feels the benefit because we know that when we're tested back home in our electorates where it matters most people give you a pretty instinctive feeling about whether or not we're on the right or wrong track. I know as an electorate MP that I have had less—less—urgency around issues to do with housing. Why? Because the operating practice is far more responsive to the needs of housing in our community and there is more collaboration across the Government sector in trying to respond immediately.Now that's a sign. People are feeling that while yes they agree there is always more to do the Government is steering in the right direction and that's important. We had the Prime Minister go overseas to Davos to the economic forum there and talk about the well-being Budget and people were inspired. They were inspired because they knew that this is a Government that is focusing on more than GDP. We're focusing on people communities and outcomes that really make a difference in the hardest areas. We want to address the issues of child poverty reverse inequality income inequality tackle the really big issues of climate change and its practical impacts—its real impacts—in our community and show that by being more responsive and working together across the Government sector with stakeholders in the community more can be done and people will feel the benefit.There are three key goals that the Prime Minister outlined in her statement: building a productive sustainable economy that works for everyone—not just some but everybody. Why does that matter to us? Because for far too long the economy has been operating in a way that those who do well are always going to do well but those who need a little bit of support aren't getting it and those who are right at the bottom of the heap go further down the bottom. And that's not acceptable. So we do need an economy that works for everyone and we need to change some fundamental things.I'm pleased that the Minister of Education has signalled in the area of vocational training where we can lift all boats of many of our young people that we need to think differently about the way in which we train our young people not just for now but for the jobs of the future. This will be a huge shift. Now members of the Opposition would have you believe that that means centralising the delivery of vocational support. The Minister himself has said and he's taking public submissions on this matter that actually this will deepen the footprint of regional training and vocational opportunities as it applies for the labour market and growth profile across the country. And that's a good thing.The second key theme that the Prime Minister highlighted was improving well-being for New Zealanders and their whānau. Last year the Families Package came into effect. By 2021 350000 New Zealand families will get approximately $75 extra a week but it's not just about the money; it's sending a signal that we value families raising children. The Families Package will make a huge huge difference to the many families who need that extra support so that they can do what we believe they should be doing which is caring for their children and being able to survive as well. The other thing about that is to ensure that we're underpinned by a vision around jobs because we know that in order to distribute more of the benefit of the economy we need people in work. I'm proud of my colleague the Hon Willie Jackson in his employment portfolio and the Mana in Mahi programme which is a pathway to help young people—many young people many young Māori—move off the benefit into training and into secure employment. And there are a number of stories that we could tell in this House about the success that that initiative has shown albeit starting very small and moving out for young people working and brokering in local communities with employers who are trying to do things differently as well. The third theme that the Prime Minister talked about was taking a new approach to leadership focusing on long-term issues. I want to focus most of the rest of my speech in this area because a number of the challenges facing the Māori community are significant and they require a long-term view about the nature of change that's required. I've already spoken to one of them Mana in Mahi. But if I think about the way in which we can lift opportunities for young Māori and Māori through education employment and vocational training—the types of changes that we're implementing—we'll see the benefits of that come through very soon. But housing's the other area. We know that as it gets more unaffordable for many Māori whānau to live in urban centres they're going home. Papakāinga housing has been an opportunity to support whānau aspirations not to go home just because it's cheaper but to develop their land through papakāinga and also enterprise initiatives so they can return home have a sustainable employment pathway and yes provide better income and opportunities for their whānau back there. Stories throughout the country tell me that we're on the right track. Why? Because we're taking a community development approach. I'm very very encouraged by the way in which these types of investments are improving outcomes. In transitional housing—this is a huge area of need as well and it's not just located in our rural provincial areas but in our urban areas as well. I think about Ōtāngarei and Whangarei Ngāti Porou who are but two of the several projects in the transitional housing space who are demonstrating by partnering with Government in a different way that they can respond to the emergency housing needs as it relates to the drive in their own community and more can be done. I was certainly pleased at Waitangi to announce another initiative around Kaeō and Whangaroa.In the land area we have dropped the previous administration's wide-scale reforms to Te Ture Whenua Maori Act. It wasn't supported. We're going to introduce targeted changes to the Act alongside support and advocacy services in the region for Māori land owners to get the best opportunity out of their undeveloped lands that they have. We've done that through a whenua fund. But more importantly just recently with the support of the Hon Shane Jones and the Provincial Growth Fund the hundred-million dollar Whenua Māori Fund that has been announced enables Māori to get uplift in the value of the enterprise coming off their lands to be able to further grow their economic aspirations so that they can in turn reinvest that into the social well-being outcomes that they seek for their family and their hāpu. It's a huge step forward; never been done before. It will be transformative in terms of the impact it has on Māori whānau. That really does underpin where we're going in terms of a Government that is leading not just treading water not staying still not just governing but leading so that economic prosperity can be shared amongst more people. By building the Māori economy by investing in skills training vocational support and by ensuring that we focus on the things that really provide greater security for our whānau like housing we know that all boats will lift and that people will overall do better.Is that just a vision for Māori? No. It's actually the vision we have for all New Zealanders. It's not limited to Māori but we know that there are significant investments that will get cut-through and transform the way in which New Zealand goes forward as a country and can value what we all value most which is we're a Government who leads for the many not just the few. We're a Government that cares about people not just GDP. We're a Government that is proud to be a coalition confidence and supply Government with all its challenges and opportunities to ensure that many many more New Zealanders will feel the benefits of the way that we lead and govern.