Horomia Parekura: Budget Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Horomia Parekura: Budget Debate 
[Sitting date: 16 June 2004. Volume:618;Page:13669. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 Greetings to all of those who have taken the time to come to the House to understand more about how great this Budget is for Maori people. It is one of the best in 20 years and if we analyse it and break it down we will understand that better. I rise to commend this Government and the Minister of Finance for what is an excellent Budget for Maori. It is the best I have seen for many years and it is the best since Labour has been in power. This Labour Government has made a clear commitment to accelerate the advancement of Maori and this Budget will assist working Maori to provide more opportunities for their whanau unlike past Governments that focused on the gloom and doom. 
Up and down this country I have been talking about shifting the profile of Maori. This Government has done that ever since it started its term in office. Forecasts for the next 50 years show that although New Zealand’s population generally is ageing— 
Opposition Member 
: What about closing the gaps! 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: —we will close the gaps and we have been closing the gaps—Maori and Pacific populations will remain relatively youthful. Whether or not we like it by the year 2021 one in five people aged 15 to 39 will have Maori in them and that will be great for them. The demographic trends of Maori in comparison with New Zealand’s population highlight the importance of why we need to mobilise our young people. This Government recognises that for New Zealand to prosper and progress all individuals and groups—and especially Maori—have to reach their fullest potential. Providing opportunities for Maori is what this Budget is about—simply that. There is no namby-pamby stuff as offered by the last National Government. Whether in enterprise or in social endeavours Maori strive to participate and succeed as Maori. That captures our desire to participate and succeed in New Zealand and globally. 
In relation to Maori Budget 2004 is aimed at enhancing all the Maori successes that the Government alongside them has helped them create. There are numerous situations. The last speaker would have us believe that every Maori needs to be locked up in jail or that all Maori belong there. I say to him that Labour will cut Maori inmate figures in half. It is simple logic. As Maori we need to stop going to prison. We need to get on with our businesses. People do steal cars but more cars were stolen when that member was the Minister of Justice and his colleague sitting next to him was the Minister of Social Welfare. That is what happened and we have built on to some great programmes. People would steal cars steal dogs and steal dishes. Heaps of people were doing that in his time and what did his Government do about it? Nothing—not one iota! What has the great George Hawkins done? He has lowered crime figures and built up staff numbers and that is what this Budget is about. It is about improving the services and processes to make sure that Maori people get on and do a lot better. 
I talked to some young women from Tikipunga—[ 
Interruption 
] If the member wants to talk about that incident we will talk about it. The thing is that the member knows about it because he was the Minister responsible for it at that time. Tell me about those issues in the centre of Horowhenua— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I am sorry to interrupt the Minister but I say to members that the Minister is making a hard-hitting speech and of course some interjections can be expected but not so much as to drown out another speaker. The Speaker will not allow a member to be drowned out. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Today I had the privilege of listening to some up-and-coming young Maori from Tikipunga. There are thousands of them down at the Queens Wharf Events Centre where 30 teams are in a national kapahaka competition. I will tell members what these young wahine told me when I asked them what they wanted to do. They are in the sixth and seventh form. One wants to a lawyer and another wants to get into art and design. They are very clear in their minds as to where they are going. So despite all the nonsense and pontification from high-necked low-ranged people who do not want Maori to get on they will get on and do it. I have a lot of faith that Maori will get into that. 
Over the next 4 years $2 billion will be injected into education. That is where Maori need to go. We are not fluffing around. We have two differences both at the social and enterprise end. Maori are on their way to being the business owners and the business managers. From July 2007 more funds will be made available to ensure that Maori participate in early childhood education. In relation to primary health organisations and health development there are 23000 Maori over the age of 65 years who will benefit from that. 
This is a kind caring Government but we are strong and vigorous enough to ensure that we do not let people melt away on the benefit or on the make-believe schemes and programmes led by those members opposite. This is about us going forward. We are not afraid to front those people of our own who want to make mischief and who want to make believe they are not on Government contracts or whatever else and who are leading elite soft lifestyles. We want to make sure that Maori are working that they are better educated and that they do own the businesses. There are issues around skills development. Next year 500 places will be added to the Modern Apprenticeships scheme which will bring the total number of people on the scheme up to 8000 and a fair percentage of that number are Maori. 
Maori do want to work. They do want to get on with life but they have to have help and guidance from our people. There have been a whole lot of adjustments. My parents came from families that averaged 18 or 19 people in the family. I come from families that average 10 to 11 people. Now the average Maori family is 2.3. It is about the same size as the average Pakeha family. It is just that we have a lot of gas in us—and we ain’t going to slip over or stumble; we ain’t going to be cornered by rednecked rabid upsetting people who think they know better for us. We are on the way. We are well educated. 
In the fisheries area Maori control and run nearly 41 percent of that asset. So do not tell us that we are not adding to this economy. Do not tell us that we are not trying. The good thing about this Budget is that it will help to progress and accelerate us in that area. In the sense of those enterprises we are starting to turn the corner and to do our bit. We are the biggest single stock owners and meat exporters in this country. That is great stuff. Do not talk about all the flip-flop; talk about what we are doing well. The member for Rangitikei knows that. He knows that this has been the best year for farmers in nearly 30 years and that half of farmers will shift over and join the Labour Party. We know they want to do that. They are receiving the best prices they have ever had and this Budget will ensure that that projection is out for another 4 or 5 years. Opposition members cannot hide from that. They know that people are receiving the best prices for their fish and for their sheep and it is because of this Government. 
The key planks in relation to Maori succeeding in partnership with this Government are some simple things and the proof is in the pudding. Maori unemployment is now at 9.4 percent. It is at the lowest rate in 24 years. Who did that? We did it and yes I believe we could halve that rate again in the next 7 years because Maori want to go to work. We are creating an environment in the economy for small business. Minister Tamihere who spoke in this debate before me has put a lot of effort into that and they love him in the small-business area. They want him to be there. At the end of the day 43000 more Maori are now in work than when that lot on the other side were running things. As I said in the Maori business facilitation area 4000 Maori are in business doing their thing who were not there when Labour came to office. 
I tell the members opposite who want to keep on making out that all Maori are criminals and people who do not want to do things that we care for our kids and we care for our whanau—we are no different from Pakeha. This Budget will make sure that we advance ourselves totally and professionally. We will be hanging on to all the opportunities that are there. We want to show an example to our young ones like the wahine from Tikipunga who are here today. We want to show them that we will not be rolled over. We will not listen to inventive statistics like those from the member who was prattling on about cars being stolen. We will not get into that. We will not have leadership changes such as the one that has just happened in this House whereby people get in by one vote. I see that the deputy leader of ACT is here. She knows that this is the best Budget she has ever known because she tries to have a social conscience. She understands it and she believes in it. In her new role like the leader who promised statesmanship at a better level she will support this Government. We know that. 
Georgina Beyer 
: Muriel Newman should be leader. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: We know that Muriel Newman should have been leader rather than that other bloke. We know that there are a thousand members who signed up and voted eight times to get him in. We know all about that caper. I tell members opposite: “Time’s up fellas.” The Labour Party is here with this Budget and we will be doing it for a lot more years because we have no intention of moving on. With the effort they are putting in we are sure they cannot move us on. 
I tell the member for Rangitikei that he should read the detail. He knows what we did for his people and he knows that most of those farmers want to move over to us. It is very important that those members opposite read the detail and do not make outlandish statements that are mistruths about why we should be connecting to other countries just for the sake of it or to put our hands on our hearts on our chests and make believe we are Americans and not New Zealanders. We are Maori New Zealanders and we are here to carry on.