Mahuta Nanaia: General Debate 
Mahuta Nanaia: General Debate 
[Volume:664;Page:11741] 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato) 
: 
 I move  
That the House take note of miscellaneous business 
. Seventy-three percent of people in my electorate earn $40000 or less. The tax cuts announced in National’s Budget 2010 will mean very little—in fact nothing at all—to the great majority of workers in my electorate and many other Maori electorates throughout the country. Not one constituent has expressed optimism about the impacts of tax cuts in places like Te Kuiti Tuakau Pukekohe Tokoroa Tairua or Thames—not one. They know that Budget 2010 will not deliver to them. They know that the sharp edges of the recession may have been softened for the small percentage of Kiwis but not for the large majority. Those same tax cuts are exacerbated by rising inflation making the cost of living pressures a real issue for far too many families in my electorate. 
National has promoted this Budget as positive for growth and jobs. Meanwhile 60000 young people are unemployed. Job Ops has been promoted as an ambitious solution to solve that problem but it is a short-term fix to a long-term challenge. There is nothing in the Budget to increase the uptake of Modern Apprenticeships placements. I was in Raglan last week and heard a story of a young man who was keen to take up an apprenticeship. He did OK at school but his own teachers by their own admission would say that he was better learning with his hands. He wanted to do an apprenticeship and take up a trade. He was no slouch but he was not able to take up a Modern Apprenticeship placement. There is nothing in this Budget to encourage many more young people like him throughout the country who want to earn while they learn. There was no opportunity for him to take up a Modern Apprenticeships placement. The Government has not recognised that there are heaps and heaps of young people throughout the country who want to work but 60000 of them are currently out of work. There is nothing in the Budget to address that particular challenge. National is throwing a lifeline of a 6-month training opportunity to them. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: What’s that going to do? 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA 
: Very little. Young people do not want a training opportunity; they want to work. They want a job and to earn while they learn. There is no vision and no ambition for young people in National’s Budget 2010. 
Families are bracing themselves for the impact of GST increases. It will hurt. There will be increased costs to the weekly kai bill. Take for example a weekly kai bill of $261. Add to that 15 percent which means an extra $39.15 per week on that whanau’s kai bill. It will hurt. There will be increased costs for mortgage or rental payments increased costs for school uniforms for the kids increased costs for household items and for rates. Let us look at rates. Take an annual bill of $2006.23 and add to that 15 percent. That will cost $300.93 extra a year. 
David Garrett 
: It must be a nice house. 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA 
: I heard a comment over there that it must be a nice house. In fact rates in Kawhia are more than that and those are humble baches so let us be very clear that the member for ACT has no idea what everyday families are paying in rates. He should be ashamed. Far too many—[ 
Interruption 
]. What did he say? 
David Garrett 
: I know Kawhia very well. 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA 
: He knows Kawhia very well. He obviously does not know its rates bills very well at all. He should be ashamed that he is supporting a 15 percent increase to rates bills which will add around about $300 a year to them. Pensioners in Kawhia will not be getting any more out of the Rates Rebate Scheme because that has gone under National’s Budget 2010. GST hikes will hurt no matter how National slices and dices its message. They will hurt many households many Maori households and many whanau and I know that Hone Harawira does not like that particular decision. 
These are the types of changes that Maori families and individuals will feel because they will hurt them in the pocket. Five members of the Maori Party voted for these changes on the basis that they have made far too many gains to turn back now. Well let us look at the checklist. First there was flying a flag on one day of the year. Yes they delivered that—woo hoo! That is done but it means very little. The repeal of the Foreshore and Seabed Act is done but the solution is not what was promoted out in the communities.