Korako NukNUK KORAKO (Chairperson of the Māori Affairs Committee): Ā tēnā koe e Te Tiamana. It is a privilege to take the chair's call in this debate of the Māori Other Populations and Cultural Sector in my role as the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee. It is also a privilege to be a Māori MP in a Government that is working hard to improve the lives of Māori Pasifika and also all New Zealanders. Although I do not agree with the Māori Party's stance on Helen Clark's UN bid Marama Fox did remind us just how bad the Labour Party was for Māori the last time it formed the Government. When we look at that Labour supported by New Zealand First extinguished Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed. That is the first one. The next one was that after National completed the first Treaty settlements in the 1990s it was Labour that effectively stalled them and then it took a National Government particularly under the Hon Christopher Finlayson as the Treaty Minister to get things moving again. The third thing is that it took a National Government to actually commit New Zealand to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. And the fourth thing which I think is really worth highlighting is that it took a National Government to apologise to Tūhoe for the Urewera raids. With this sector I want to talk about the great things that National is doing for Māori now particularly through this year's Budget. Treaty settlements are continuing and more and more iwi around the country are actually receiving the apologies from the Crown. What they are also doing is actually banking the commercial redress that gives them the opportunity in a way to invest in their futures. We have also further increased our investment in Māori and Pasifika trade training schemes and this is a fantastic programme. It is about giving so many young people the chance to take up a trade to actually provide for themselves and their families and to play an important part in filling the skill shortages we are facing in the construction and the infrastructure industries. What better way is there to support our young people than to give them a chance to make a contribution to their country's well-being while at the same time securing their family's financial future and ensuring that they can depend on a wage and not actually a welfare payment? Under the trade training schemes 1200 young people benefited from this programme last year but demand is continuing to grow. This new funding of $9.6 million will provide places for 2500 young learners in this year alone and 3400 in the next year. What about housing? We have heard Opposition members talking a lot about housing shortages but here is a Government that is doing something about it. It is called comprehensive planning. Young Māori who want to own their first home can already access a number of things in a number of ways so that they can actually have a great opportunity to move into their own home. The first one is the HomeStart scheme the second one is the KiwiSaver savings that they can utilise and the other one—particularly amongst a number of iwi—is that they have their own saving schemes just like the Ngāi Tahu Whai Rawa. So there are three ways that young Māori can actually access these particular funds where they are savings funds so that they can actually have a better chance of getting their first home. We are also giving the Māori housing network a boost—$12.6 million over the next 4 years. We know that Māori find it more difficult to get into their first home than non-Māori do so this targeted assistance will actually help more of our whānau realise their housing dreams and make them come true. This funding will go towards new homes and housing repairs and to ensure whānau have access to safe secure and also healthy homes. This Budget also benefits our Pacific brothers and sisters with a further $4.6 million in new operating funding going to the Pacific Employment Support Services. This helps get Pacific young people back into work and back into training. I have focused on Māori and Pasifika but there is a lot more involved in that as well. Kia ora.