Turia Tariana: Supplementary Estimates — Imprest Supply Debate 
Turia Tariana: Supplementary Estimates — Imprest Supply Debate 
[Volume:655;Page:4525] 
Hon TARIANA TURIA (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 Kia ora Mr Deputy Speaker. Tena tatou katoa. Last weekend on Saturday night was a chance to sit in front of the fire cheer on the All Blacks and laugh as the painted rooster outsmarted the security team at the Cake Tin. It was a bittersweet victory. A win on the night was not enough to secure the 6-point margin we needed to win the trophy but we got over it. But for five young New Zealanders it did not stop there. They took their anger out on an unsuspecting member of the French rugby team punching him and throwing him to the ground in an unprovoked assault which left the player with a suspected broken eye socket and stitches to the face. 
So what does this have to do with the additional expenses in capital expenditure required for the financial year? Is it just an isolated attack that bears no further comment? If we were to read yesterday’s papers we might find a different story with the headline “Surge in violence during recession”. We could read that the Christchurch women’s refuges have seen a huge jump in the number of women asking for help as the recession bites. The Battered Women’s Trust described an extraordinary increase of 60 percent in the number of women asking for help from about 200 community clients a year ago to about 360 now. 
At the other end of the motu a special circumstances court is being proposed to cater for the increasing numbers of homeless living on Auckland streets. The manager of the Methodist Mission’s Lifewise service has called for a 24-hour service hub as an initial contact point for homeless people. Throughout the country the number of food parcels being given out has increased. The economy continues to lose jobs and people are finding it impossible to stretch the family finances even further. For many of these New Zealanders the recession signals just more of the same. These are the New Zealanders who live on very low levels of absolute income—those people who represent the extreme end of income disparity. 
This is the phenomenon that the Maori Party expected to see addressed in the Appropriation (2008/09 Supplementary Estimates) Bill. Increasing levels of violence homelessness food deprivation and poverty are just some of the effects of the recession that must be spoken about. We have been pleased to support the initiatives that emerged in the Budget process to assist New Zealanders in responding to the impacts of the global economic downturn. The Maori Party has gone on record in looking at the opportunities that may arise for Maori from the $7.45 billion investment in infrastructure or the allocation of up to $40 million for the community responses to the recession. 
But there are other areas that could benefit from further analysis and we have been looking to legislation with poverty in mind. The supplementary estimates go into some detail in specifying appropriations for the Wiri Inland Port’s rail link a screen production incentive fund and a contribution to joint venture airports. There are allocations for participation at Expo 2010 in Shanghai China and there are more appropriations for State highways and railway development. There is investment in generating reserve electricity at Whirinaki and even funding for a transformational initiatives fund. But there is nothing in this legislation that is transformational in terms of eliminating poverty. There is nothing to suggest that the earned income threshold for beneficiaries could rise by $80 or that over-crowding or homelessness will be addressed. 
Although the changes in emphasis regarding infrastructure and transport initiatives are to be expected it is disappointing that the estimates contain so little about incentives for our most vulnerable populations. The Child Poverty Action Group spells out in no uncertain terms that “Insisting on fiscal prudence now at the expense of children will prove to be very short-sighted when the future social costs hit high.” The Maori Party will not neglect the rights of our children. We are committed to the long-term view a view in which whanau ora prevails and a time when marginalisation is reduced. We will speak the words that others may be afraid to say. We will do what we can to prevent poverty to address discriminatory language and to confront social exclusion. 
If we have an eye to the long-term view it will mean that we are clear about the outcomes before we proceed on any policy process. If the problem is that it costs over $600000 to build a prison cell the answer may be far more wide ranging than creating a solution out of converted shipping containers. It is about reintegration and restoration of offenders. It is about reducing the recidivist offender rates and putting in place whanau support to encourage offenders not to turn to crime. If the problem is that approximately 5000 New Zealanders die each year from tobacco use we should not be putting all of our investment into programmes that tell smokers to quit. We would be far better off investing in early intervention and prevention strategies that discourage young people from ever starting to smoke. One of the solutions might be to remove the tobacco from the shop shelves in the first place. If the problem is boy racers we might consider working with the boys themselves which would provide a vital opportunity for change rather than focusing on the vehicles alone. Better yet we might consider supporting youth networks and positive youth employment initiatives. 
All of the investment in reducing hospital waiting lists is in many ways meaningless if the foundation of health promotion is eroded. We must be open to doing as much as we can for those who have the least opportunity. How do we lift the sights of vulnerable children to let them know that their world can change? What does whanau ora mean for them? It should not be a 21st century version of  
Oliver Twist 
 when someone is asking for more when there is no more to be had. 
Last week was Volunteer Awareness Week. If there was one message that came through over and over again it was the demonstration of how rewarding the gift of giving can be. In my role as the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector I am constantly humbled by New Zealanders who show their humanity to one another through gifts of time gifts of money and gifts of kind so that they can share. There is nothing more inspiring than to see such generosity transform lives. I see everyday people who have rejected the race to clutter their homes with accumulated wealth and who have instead dedicated themselves to helping others around them. It does not matter how they give; it is the fact that they give in the first place. Let these people become our models in this Parliament in terms of how to restore that sense of common unity that sense of community spirit which will be so critical in our recovery. Kia ora.