Henare Tau: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Henare Tau: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:638;Page:8918] 
10.  
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: Does he have confidence in Te PuniKokiri; if not why not? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 Yes I have confidence in Te PuniKokiri because its employees are hard-working and conscientious. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Why does Te PuniKokiri spend its staff development budget on expensive overseas training courses for staff members on the basis that these courses will allow Te PuniKokiri staff to develop their own skills and strengthen their ability to acquire positions elsewhere in the public and private sector? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I do not know all the details about that and I will get further information but one thing that is important to note is that it is hard for the Maori ministry to hold staff because as Maori organisations and iwi are developing and their assets are becoming a whole lot larger staff are poached. In order to compete in this market in relation to human resources it is important that the ministry gets the best skills wherever it can. 
Dave Hereora 
: Why does the Minister have confidence in Te PuniKokiri? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: The ministry is a key part of incredibly positive results that are now emerging for Maori. More Maori are working more Maori are moving into semi-higher-skilled occupations and more Maori are earning more. Maori are also involved in the negative areas; we are trying to address issues like poverty and violence which do run rampant amongst some of our people. 
Dr Pita Sharples 
: Kia ora Madam Speaker. Given that Te PuniKokiri’s 2006-07 statement of intent states that Te PuniKokiri has the lead policy role in supporting the revitalisation of te reo Maori and given that the data provided from Te PuniKokiri in 2006 confirmed that only one person out of a staff of 270 was receiving recognition for attestation of level 5 fluency in te reo does the Minister consider that that is sufficient for it to perform this lead role; if not what will he do about it? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I am quite certain that in the sense of that high level as that doctor knows the bar is so high that people struggle to get there. But what we are serious about—and today I launched the Maori medium literacy strategy for schools—is that it is important that everybody gets the opportunity. As that member knows we funded Maori Television and we continue to fund the Ma Te Reo aspects in this country. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Would not a ministry like Te PuniKokiri with a history of problems with staff turnover be better off spending its staff development budget on staff retention than on strengthening their ability to get a better job somewhere else? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: That is the mix of where Maori people are going in this contemporary time. I tell the member that when Labour came to office at the end of 1999 after the National Party had been in Government the turnover rate was running at 23 to 25 percent. The ministry now has the turnover rate down to just under 12 percent. On average staff members have worked there for between 5 and 6 years. That member was in charge then when the turnover was dramatic. I finish by saying that the level is below the public service average for turnover. 
Tariana Turia 
: Tena koe Madam Speaker. Tenatatou. Can the Minister tell me what is meant by the importance of social dialogue to the quality of life as outlined in Te PuniKokiri’s diversity research programme and how will it be measured? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Te PuniKokiri has reprioritised its efforts to reflect the Maori Potential Approach and that is part of it. The priorities are building knowledge and skills—[ 
Interruption 
] Is Pansy all right? 
Pansy Wong 
: I’m fine thank you. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: OK. The priorities also include strengthening leadership and decision making and the development and use of resources. It is about using Maori organisations and making sure that practices like mauri ora are imbued that we follow and recognise that there is a Maori way to do things and that we fund it. The framework for measuring and monitoring it is something we will work on with all Maori colleagues in this House. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Does the Minister agree with the Maori Affairs Committee of which Mahara Okeroa Mita Ririnui and Dave Hereora are members when it questioned whether sending ministry staff on expensive overseas training courses constituted realising Maori potential? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Maori do go global. The members of the select committee have vigorous debates and discussions. They question everybody on every issue that is relevant to the topic of the day. 
Dr Pita Sharples 
: Tena koe Madam Speaker. In the light of Te PuniKokiri’s role to facilitate Treaty settlements what action will the Minister be instructing it to take to respond to the people of Te Roroa who have indicated massive dissatisfaction with the process of addressing longstanding grievances? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: As the member knows there are tensions and challenging opinions in relation to settlements. In relation to Te Roroa I am more than happy to make officials available to talk to Dr Sharples. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I seek leave of the House to table the 2005-06 financial review of Te PuniKokiri which shows the spending of extraordinary amounts of money on— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection.