Dr. Pita Sharples, Maory Party Member of Parliament querstions discrepancies bewtween maori and non-Maori educational and employment achievements. For related research article click here .

Prime Minister’s Debate

Dr Pita Sharples; Co-leader, Maori Party

Wednesday 14 February 2007

 

There has been a lot of talk over the long, cold summer of 2007.

Talk of an under-class; children going to school hungry; of streets in my electorate.  Party policies shamed; politicians blamed.

There has been other talk about how well we are doing  - the supposedly splendid social and economic progress being somehow responsible for smaller crowds this year at Ratana; peaceful commemorations at Waitangi; and general levels of happiness.

And while all the talk has flowed; other issues are raised around the kitchen tables of our nation.

Questions like why:

The Maori Party has some hard questions of our own to ask.

How many more whanau need to be ensnared as casualties of a welfare trap?   A trap that is literally stealing the hopes and aspirations of our future generations from out of our grasp.

How many more whanau are to be consigned to the ever-growing mountain of the working poor?

For how much longer will New Zealand’s reputation be damaged by generations of child abuse, alcohol and drug induced abuse; domestic violence, murder?     How long will we let talk flow before enduring solutions are available?

This Prime Minister’s Debate has seen the House revert to the battleground; all in the name of the political scoreboard.

It reminds me what Nelson Mandela said in a ‘Long Walk to Freedom’.  


“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered”.

Over this last year, we have been looking, listening, learning.  But it has to be said, that the way in which issues are raised in this House has, at times, left much to be desired.  We welcome the move to develop a code of conduct for politicians.  

Indeed, as a party driven by our kaupapa and tikanga, we look forward to a new parliamentary environment – and we hope this year, an environment in which te reo Maori thrives through simultaneous translation.

Our interest, as it always has been, to consolidate the influence of a strong, independent Maori voice.  We do this, in our commitment to the growth of healthy, resilient, independent people.

We want our people to be gainfully employed for a living wage.

We are dedicated towards building whanau independence and community vitality.

We encourage all parties to invest in people, to inspire entrepreneurship, and to reinforce that the best solutions are determined by the people themselves.

In the instances of Maori social and educational needs we believe that best solutions proposed by the people themselves have been deliberately ignored in favour of the Government’s agenda of expanding the service of Government Departments and agencies.

All this does is to heighten Maori dependence on the state.  I think of the call that has come over many years for more Maori teachers to teach Maori immersion education.  How did the Ministry respond?  By a new layer of staffing in the bureaucracy called Pouwhakataki.

At the time of the murders of the two twin babies last year, what was the bureaucracy’s response?  To set up new layers of bureaucracy in their agencies.

In my electorate in this very day, the issues associated with youth violence on our streets are confronting our communities.  How does the Government respond?  By sending in a team of outsiders, much to the anger of the South Auckland community.

The Maori Party is saying enough of social rescue campaigns that end up blowing money and achieving little.

We believe this House is desperately in need of some fresh new ideas.   Ideas which demonstrate that our investments reflect our values.

Like the initiative in Bahrain, introduced last week by Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus– a family bank.  A concept based on the ideals of the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh which is owned by the poor borrowers of the bank, mostly women.

The borrowers become the owners – and as they take on these new roles, they ensure there is no failure in repayment.

In a different part of the world, in the Basque country, the Mondragón Co-operative set up the People’s Worker Bank which allowed the members both access to financial services and start-up funds for new co-operative ventures.

It has been so successful that in 2002 the Mondragón Co-operative contributed 3.7% towards the total GDP of Basque; and was the seventh largest Corporation in Spain – the world’s largest worker co-operative.

These are just three examples which adhere to traditional co-operative values; are focused on family; and ensure that all members have a financial stake in the success of the venture.

They are models of success based on self-reliance and self-sufficiency.

The welfare trap has created a seemingly impenetrable mindset amongst both tangata whenua, and the ‘helping agencies’ that keep people caught in the trap.

The wholesale misery and poverty that is created by the welfare trap is clearly not producing the results that will achieve sustainable outcomes.  

Tangata whenua are at a crucial junction in the road, where a decision is required to branch off into an entirely new direction.  The vital decision is about what vehicle will get them there.

And it should not have to be a question of not having enough gas to get there.

The total estimated tax paid by Maori, and recorded in the Half Year Economic and Fiscal update for 2006, was $3, 832 million.  That’s plenty enough gas to nurture whanau independence; to generate community vitality; to invest in people.

We believe it would be a great day if we could redirect Government spending to enable tangata whenua to benefit from direct access to the source of a resource.

Maori need to have a greater stake in decision-making that is about us.  If decisions keep being made by others about us, there will never be the necessary movement to self-determination.

This House needs to invest in ideas; invest in people; invest in change.

Importantly, we have to be brave enough to face up to the racism endemic in unemployment and low-wage statistics.

And we must accord urgency to the need to take comprehensive action on climate change.

The Maori Party has expressed our dismay that we are the fourth highest nation amongst developed nations in the emission of greenhouse gases; and that New Zealand’s emissions are growing significantly faster than those in Australia.

Indigenous peoples across the globe understand their role and their responsibility as being a unique one in conserving Mother Earth.  The Maori Party is also committed to assisting whanau, hapu and iwi, as tangata tiaki to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the wellbeing and future good health of the environment.    But it is not an exclusive duty that we hold.

All of us have a responsibility to do what we can to ensure we assist this nation in not putting more carbon into the atmosphere than we are able to offset by other means.

The Māori Party believes in the efficient use of water, the conservation of energy, and the need for active environmental management.  

We know the urgency of the moment is upon us.  We have no time to waste in point-scoring and political favours.  Our priority must be to ensure we take the action that will truly make the difference for our people.

The action that will enable tangata whenua to approach that fork in the road, confident in the choice they will make will take them on the right pathway to a brighter future.  

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