Flavell Te Ururoa: Student Loan Scheme (Exemptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Student Loan Scheme (Exemptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:656;Page:5868] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker kia ora tatau e te Whare. I a tatau e korero nei i nga take o te matauranga e tika ana kia huri nga whakaaro ki tera o nga matanga nga tohunga o roto o Tainui waka kua ngaro atu i te tirohanga kanohi i nga ra tata kua hipa. Ko Tui Adams tera. Kei runga ia i tona marae o roto o Ngati Maniapoto i tenei po taku mohio koi nei te po poroporoaki ki a ia. Apopo ka tukuna atu a ia ki te kopu o Papatuanuku e koro haere. Koia tera i kaha tautoko nei i te ahuatanga o te Wananga o Aotearoa i nga tau kua hipa. E ka tangi te ngakau ki a koe e koro. 
Ara ano tera o roto i Ngati Tuwharetoa. He pera ano te korero. Ko Arthur Smallman tera he uri o roto o Ngati Tuwharetoa. Pera ano hoki te ahuatanga o te korero. Apopo ka tukuna atu ai ki te kopu o Papatuanuku. Korua tahi. Koutou te hunga mate haere whakangaro atu. 
Ka hoki mai ano ra ki tenei pire a-matauranga nei. Tona mutunga he take matauranga tenei. Me ki ara noa atu te rarangi korero mo nga momo turanga mahi e kimi haere nei i etahi hei whakakiki i nga whawharua. Ara ko nga takuta ko nga kaiako ko nga kaimahi hiko kaimahi korere wai nehi niho kaiputaiao kaihoahoa kaiwhakatauira whare ranei a tae atu ki te hunga kaiahuone ara noa atu ara noa atu. Koi nei nga momo mahi i rongo nei i te ngau o te tapahi o te putea e ki ana ko te putea tautoko akoranga. Ko te tikanga ko enei putea he mea awhina i te hunga e kimi mahi ana e pa ana ki ta ratau i ako ai na runga i tona ake hiahia na runga ake i tona ao na runga i te ahuatanga o nga hiahia o te hunga mahi. Engari ko te tahua putea o tenei tau ae i tiaki pai mai te putea tautoko akoranga nei engari no te hunga anake i ako nei tae ra no ki te taumata tuatoru me ki ko te mea nga wari noa iho ki tera taumata. Engari mena e hiahia ana ratau ki te kimi haere i nga pukenga mo te mahi ara ko nga pukenga e hiahiatia nei e te hunga tuku mahi kia eke atu ai nga tangata ki nga taumata e wawatatia ana katahi te Kawanatanga ka whakaputa i tetahi whakataunga heahea rawa atu he taiapa i whakaturia i mua i te aroaro o te hunga ako. Me ki he mea ngau nei ki te ngakau o te tangata puta noa i te motu kua puta te korero te awanga nui nei ki te Kawanatanga engari auare ake. Kaore te Kawanatanga i aro mai ki ta ratou i whakatakoto mai ai. 
Ara no te whakatauki o roto i te ao Maori ko te kai o te rangatira he korero me ki kei te putake o tera ko tenei mea te korero he korero rangatira ki te rangatira ara no te tikanga o roto i tera momo korero me whakarongo ki ta te iwi e korero nei ka mutu me wananga i roto i te ngakau ka mutu a me whakaputa korero i muri mai. He ahua pera ano hoki te ahuatanga o te taone nui o Tamaki i pera rawa te korero. Ko te tikanga me ki tenei Kawanatanga me whai te Minita Hide nei i tera korero ko te kai o te rangatira he korero he wananga i te ahuatanga o nga turu Maori i roto o Tamaki. 
Pera ano hoki tenei pire kare te Kawanatanga i tino rongo i nga hiahia o te hunga i whakatakoto korero ki mua i a ratau i haere tika tonu ia a-Kawanatanga ki runga i tona ake huarahi. Ko tenei pire me ki i whakawhanui te titiro ki tenei mea te utu hua moni kore ki te hunga i tono nei i etahi putea. Ara me ki te hunga e noho mai rara i Niue i Kuki Airani i Tokerau tae atu ki tena whenua o Ross Dependency me ki roa ake i nga ra e 183. Na ko te tino putake o tera take me penei rawa te korero he pai tonu i te mea i tautoko nei i te hunga o era whenua ki te akoako i konei ka mutu ka hoki ratau ki o ratau ake whenua a ka taka atu nga painga ki reira ki era whenua. He pai tonu era mea katoa. Na he paku rawekeweke nei i te hanganga ture kia taea ai nga mea tono moni nei me ki he hunga mahi nei mo te kore moni ara o roto i nga ropu whakahaere awhina tangata. Me ki kare ratau i rongo nei i nga tikanga o tenei o nga pire mo nga ra e pera ano te roa ara e 183 ra. E ahei ana te hunga na aua tauira me ki kua uru ki roto i nga whare wananga kei roto i tetahi wahi ako ki te whai i ta ratau e pirangi nei i tawahi e watea ata ki a ratau tenei mea ko te utu hua moni kore. 
Ara ano etahi atu painga kua rahi ake te utu moni whakahoki mai i te tekau heneti o roto i te taara kotahi eke atu ai ki te tekau ma rima heneti mo te hunga kua ahua tureiti te whakahoki moni mai. E whakarahi ake ano ra i te wa hei whakahoki mai i te moni me te kore rongo nei i tetahi moni nui nei i runga ake i tera i whakaritea mai ai mai i te 15 ra ki te 30 ra. Na tena kaua koutou e noho i te pohehe he pai tonu enei mea he hua o roto o enei ahuatanga katoa. E hangai tonu ana ki ta te Pati Maori i whakatakoto mai ai i nga tau kua hipa ara ko tenei mea te matauranga o roto i nga whare wananga he koha hei whakatutuki i nga moemoea o te iwi. Te tikanga me whakawatea mai nga huarahi katoa kia haere a-ao Maori nei a wai ake ki roto i nga whare wananga mo te kore utu. Engari ara no nga patai kaore ano kia whakautua a ka mutu kaore ano kia pataia. Ko wai te hunga e whakariterite nei i nga whainga matua o te Kawanatanga? Kei te whakarongo te Kawanatanga ki a wai? He aha nga momo huarahi o muri mai e mirimiri nei i te ahuatanga o te whainga matua? 
Ko ta matou o te Pati Maori i ki nei i mua hiahia no matou ki te whakatakoto i tetahi utu whakaheke ara kia whakapapaku i te utu a te roanga o te wa. E ngana nei matou ki te whakarahi ake i nga huarahi katoa ki te tahua tauira na runga i te ahuatanga o te whakatakoto i tetahi tahua tauira ara kia orite tona taumata ki tera o te putea mo te kore mahi. 
He korero whakamutunga pea ko ta matou e ki nei kia orite te whakautu i nga nama. Me timata i tera a te wa ka whiwhi i nga kaitono i te putea tahi me te hawhe i runga ake i te utu tau toharite. Me ki me whakawatea mai ai ko te rima tau o waenganui hei whakahoki i te moni i muri mai o te putanga i te whare wananga ka mutu ka noho kore utu hua moni nei. Ae tera korero. No reira ehara i te mea he kino tenei pire kao he pai tonu. Ara no nga painga mo te hunga e tono moni nei ka whiwhi painga. Me ki ka whakakao mai tenei pire i tetahi hunga o roto i tenei kahui ara o te utu hua moni kore. Engari koi na te putake kai a wai nga painga? 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Assistant Speaker and to us all the House. As we debate matters concerning education it is appropriate that we turn our thoughts to that scholar and expert of the Tainui canoe in this field Tui Adams who passed away recently. He lies in state on his Ngati Maniapoto marae tonight. My understanding is that farewell tributes will be made to him tonight. Tomorrow he will be interred in the bowels of mother Earth. Depart old one. During the past years he was a staunch supporter of aspects relating to Te Wananga o Aotearoa. Oh how the heart grieves for you old one.  
I acknowledge that loss in Ngati Tuwharetoa with the passing of Arthur Smallman one of its descendants. Tonight is his last night as well and tomorrow he will be interred in the bowels of mother Earth. That is both of you. Farewell to you the dead. Disappear from view.  
So I come back once again to this bill. After all it is about education. There is an extensive list of occupations that have an ongoing skill shortage of trained staff: doctors teachers electricians plumbers dentists scientists engineers architects horticultural specialists and so on. These are the occupations that were directly affected by the recent cuts to the training incentive allowance. Training incentive allowances help people to undertake employment-related training appropriate to their own situation and the demands of the labour market. Budget decisions this year retain the training incentive allowance if one is studying under level 3— the basic foundation skills at that level. But to achieve employable skills those that employers actually need skills that pave the way to a well-paid job or career the Government made the crazy decision to place an obstacle in the way. It was heartbreaking and demoralising and right throughout the country the people have spoken of their concerns but to no avail. The people were ignored again.  
We have a proverb in Maoridom: “Talk is the food of the chief.” In essence that means that real chiefs listen to what the people say. They take it in contemplate it reflect on it and then make informed decisions. The situation in the city of Auckland is somewhat like that proverb. Strictly speaking this Government should be saying that Minister Hide should heed the proverb about talk being food to the chief and debate the circumstances relating to the Maori seats in Auckland.  
This bill is similar as well. The Government did not really hear the wishes of those who put submissions before them. Instead of listening the Government went ahead and did what it wanted to do. This bill extends eligibility for interest-free student loans to borrowers living in Niue the Cook Islands Tokelau and the Ross Dependency for a further 183 days. The point is that if we support people from these countries to study they will then return to their lands and contribute to development there. And that is all good. It also means legislation to ensure that borrowers who volunteer for overseas charitable organisations are exempt from the requirements to be home for at least 183 days. And it enables those students enrolled with a New Zealand provider but engaged in full-time study overseas to be eligible for interest-free student loans.  
It does some other things along the way. It increases the repayment deductions from 10c in the dollar up to 15c for those whose accounts are overdue. It increases the period in which a loan may be fully repaid without incurring additional interest from 15 to 30 days. Do not get me wrong—these are all significant achievements in their own right. And they do fit well with the advocacy we have made from the Maori Party that t 
ertiary education is a front-end investment in the nation’s future and should be freely available to all. But questions must continue to be asked. Who is calling the shots in determining Government policy? Who does the Government listen to? What are the deals being done to influence policy?  
In our policy manifesto the Maori Party made the commitment to introduce a fee reduction policy to reduce fees to a nominal level over time. We also sought to increase access to student allowances by introducing a universal student allowance that will be set at the level of the unemployment benefit.  
In conclusion we recommended that student loan debt repayments perhaps should start only when borrowers are earning 1½ times the average wage that there be a 5-year grace period for repayments after graduation and that student loans remain interest-free. Yes indeed. So this is not a bad bill—not at all. It has its positives for those seeking loans. It brings more people into the loop of interest-free student loans. 
 But I ask—and it is the nub—who precisely is benefiting from it 
.]