Estimates Debate — Māori Affairs Sector

Members, we come now to the votes in the Māori affairs sector volume—B.5, Volume 8. The question is that Vote Māori Development and Vote Treaty Negotiations stand part of the Schedules.

Tēnā koe, Madam Chair, and it’s indeed a pleasure to speak in this Estimates debate to traverse the reports of the Māori Affairs Committee for the appropriations in regard to Vote Māori Development and Vote Treaty Negotiations. We also covered a portion of Vote Justice which is the responsibility of the Minister of Te Arawhiti. So if we beg your indulgence, we can cover that appropriation as well.

I’d like to acknowledge the Ministers that appeared before our committee and all of the work that was going on in relation to the various votes that we have here, and it’s good news—it’s very good news. It’s further proof that our Government is tackling the longer-term issues, and nowhere is that more evident than in Vote Māori Development. I want to acknowledge the Minister, the Hon Nanaia Mahuta, for the sterling work that she’s doing. If we look at the appropriations for Vote Māori Development, there has been close to a 10 percent increase—8 percent, in fact—$374 million appropriation for the 2019-20 year, and a huge increase within the Whānau Ora portion of that appropriation: a 32 percent increase to over $101 million. So those are some hefty, hefty appropriations which are being applied to actually lifting up and raising Māori right across, on so many levels.

I want to just focus on a few; I know I’ve got only a short space of time, but I want to acknowledge the Minister and her focus on housing, through the Papakāinga development and rural housing repairs—very important mahi that’s greatly needed right across, particularly in high-deprivation areas where Māori are. I want to acknowledge the Minister for her work with the housing initiatives around Kāinga Ora and also around our Māori whenua, and we are looking forward to the targeted amendments that will be taking place. These are all part of interlinked initiatives from the whenua, from the kāinga, through housing, through the papakāinga, all about improving the wellbeing of whānau.

That leads into the work that Whānau Ora is doing. There are some massive increases in funding, as I mentioned; a 32 percent increase. There are some fantastic new initiatives, in particular the Paiheretia te Muka Tangata. That programme, when it is rolled out, is about reducing recidivism rates of Māori offenders in prisons, but it is also about ensuring that we look holistically not only at the wellbeing of the inmates but their whānau as well. So those ongoing programmes are very exciting and very welcome initiatives, and it feeds directly into the work of Minister Davis in his corrections area with Hōkai Rangi, the corrections strategy that has been announced to lower the Māori prison population.

There are so many other areas where our Ministers are doing fantastic jobs. Te Whare o te Reo Mauriora: we now have completed, standing proud, our full Māori-Crown strategy in Te Reo Māori, which is powering ahead. There is fantastic work in Māori broadcasting and right across into the Crown’s commitments as well.

If we sweep over to Vote Treaty Negotiations now, I want to acknowledge Minister Little for his sterling work ushering through many, many Treaty settlements. We know we’re entering the tail-end phase of Treaty settlements. They are quite challenging cases, but we know that Ngāpuhi is one that we will—a giant that will be tamed—

💬 Hon Andrew Little: Just around the corner.

Just around this corner, by this Minister. He’s just confirmed it here in the Chamber. Fantastic work in Treaty negotiations—likewise, in the huge amount of work that he’s doing in the marine and coastal area space.

Finally, I want to acknowledge Minister Davis for his work in Te Arawhiti. It is a new division, a new office, a new tari, and it’s doing sterling work in terms of having doubled its resources, focusing on building strong relationships across Government, and it’s all about the Crown-Māori relationships. So with Nanaia in Te Puni Kōkiri focusing on the whānau wellbeing, Minister Davis focusing on Crown-Māori relations, Minister Henare with Whānau Ora, and likewise with Minister Little in Treaty negotiations, the waka is powering very strongly ahead in Māori development. Kia ora tātou.

Madam Chair, the Māori Affairs Committee is so privileged to have such a committed chair such as the member for Te Tai Tonga, Rino Tirikatene. What we can guarantee, when you get in front of the Māori Affairs Committee to talk about the issues that are really important, is that Rino will ensure that a full conversation will be had but, more importantly, that we’re able to focus on the things that will make a difference in the lives of many Māori now.

This Wellbeing Budget has delivered to Māori in ways that will really be a catalyst for the types of opportunities that will see enterprise grow, especially in relation to whenua Māori; that will ensure that the opportunities for young people to go into a pathway of work and employment, long-term employment, is possible; that will ensure that there’s greater protection around the aspirations of our marae, especially in terms of the resilience; and that we’re continuing to strengthen whānau development models where wellbeing is at the centre.

But then there is also the opportunity through this Wellbeing Budget to strengthen the way in which Te Reo Māori and our broadcasting sector can add value to our country’s story and provide real impetus for the way in which we value Te Reo Māori in the public sector and throughout the country.

I really do want to focus on those issues that occupied the minds of the select committee. If we look at the whenua Māori programme and the Budget that contributed towards a targeted set of amendments, legislative amendments that will get landowners over some pretty significant hurdles around succession, the budget is there: strengthen the Māori Land Court and some of the administrative processes, ensuring that we have a mediation pathway through there, ensuring that there’s support on the ground for Māori land owners. That transforms the real emphasis of engaging Māori land owners with their land through this approach.

When we think about and look at the Budget and what we’re doing in the area of housing, there are so many good stories to tell. But it’s not just about a house. It’s actually building the financial capability of whānau so that they can really envisage what a pathway to homeownership could deliver, and, beyond that, what equity in secure homeownership could deliver as well. The conversation has never really been just about buying a house; it’s been about providing security, having the financial literacy skills to be able to secure greater opportunity for whānau.

So we are investing in papakāinga homes; we’re investing in more repairs and maintenance throughout the country. This is making a key difference for, certainly, our kaumātua—warmer homes and the like—and ensuring that Sorted Kāinga Ora, which is a financial literacy programme for whānau, can be rolled out further throughout the country. Now, I was really pleased, because that programme in itself received recognition from Australia as a real practical tool that could support whānau.

In Oranga Marae, which we released down in Rino’s home area of Rehua, we are supporting marae to think about the way in which they can secure funding to upgrade their marae and also to build the resilience. Many of our marae now are being drawn upon for civil defence reasons, and so this funding in itself has been very, very useful.

I want to touch briefly on the extra funding in Whānau Ora, and the Minister himself has set quite a task in front of him to ensure that whānau development becomes core to the way in which communities can evolve and strengthen opportunity. So I’m looking forward to further conversations in that space.

The cadetship training programme—now, here’s a small but useful programme to ensure that young people can be picked up by employers and trained on site, and then employers can actually see how they could perhaps integrate an opportunity of permanent employment. We’ve seen initiatives around riparian planting in communities where the cadetship programme has been used—forestry aligned with Te Uru Rākau—and also companies who have just taken a chance on a young person and given them a shot through the cadetship programme. These are the types of things that really make a difference, alongside the rest of the Budget, that deliver on wellbeing but are primarily focused on outcomes for Māori. The select committee were very vociferous in their questioning of each of the Ministers, and I know that we were quite challenged with some of the probing questions but very pleased to respond to every one of them, because we know that this is a Budget that delivers for Māori.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I want to talk about Whānau Ora and the 2019/20 Budget appropriations under Vote Māori Development. Now, we in Parliament all know that Whānau Ora, as described by Te Puni Kōkiri, “is an inclusive, culturally anchored approach to provide services and opportunities to whānau and families across New Zealand.” It was first implemented by the National-led Government in 2010 and was the brainchild of the Hon Tariana Turia. It has become a very successful model for delivering social services and social investment, with the aim of empowering the whole whānau rather than just focusing on individuals.

Unfortunately, during those years, the Hon Nanaia Mahuta and many of the Labour members were not supportive of Whānau Ora, and before both the 2014 and the 2017 elections, they promised that if they became Government, they would review the programme. So when they did finally become Government in 2017, they began that review, and using that review process as an excuse provided no extra funding at all in Budget 2018. Fortunately, when the review was finally concluded in February this year, the findings were positive. As Minister Peeni Henare said, the review “affirms this unique approach is working well for Māori and Pacific families. The findings paint a picture of progress and positive changes for families [and] show [that] Whānau Ora is a successful contemporary indigenous wellbeing initiative, driven by Māori cultural values, working successfully and [that it] could be taken wider.”, and we agree with Minister Henare. The review also said that Whānau Ora creates conditions for that change to become sustainable, although there does need to be more research done, that it had structured accountability in the system, and operates in a transparent manner.

So our side of the House is very pleased that Budget 2019 finally increased the funding for Whānau Ora so that the programme could continue, although I must say we haven’t seen any evidence of that funding actually flowing into the system. However, we still need to make sure that the money is spent wisely and we know that that review was also concerned that Whānau Ora is siloed and that there’s a significant amount of work to do to build the understanding amongst Government departments.

House resumed.

Bill reported with progress.

Report adopted.

The House adjourned at 5.56 p.m.