Whanau ora embraces all cultures - Maori Party

The family network as the springboard for social, economic and cultural resurgence was the key theme of the Maori Party’s policy launch in Hawkes Bay today.

Co-leader Tariana Turia said the party’s kaupapa of Whanau Ora embraced all peoples who called New Zealand home.

Speaking at Te Aranga Marae, in the multi-cultural communty of Flaxmere, Mrs Turia said that, as tangata whenua and Treaty partners, ‘we have the responsibility to ensure that all peoples who make New Zealand their home are treated with fairness and dignity.’

“We have welcomed those Pakeha, Pasifika, Asian, and many other new New Zealanders, who have told us, they value integrity; they value accountability; they value that sense of being able to work together, to respect our cultural diversity; and to appreciate that which we look for in each other,” said Mrs Turia.

“We choose to believe in what connects us rather than what separates us. Our reaction - to the youth “problem”, to disruptive toddlers in kindergarten, special needs children; gangs, neglected elderly, rural communities – is always consistent, namely, these groups do not exist in separate silos; individuals are part of whanau, and our greatest hope lies in our collective strength: you, me, we.”

The party’s policies on health, education and social development emphasise the importance of local people devising solutions to their local issues and, where necessary, the government supporting their initiatives.

The Party says investment in ‘opportunity communities’ allows all people to become contributors to society and the economy, and generates huge long-term savings.

Health policies invest heavily in wellness, prevention of illness, access to quality primary care and early intervention. There is a strong emphasis on cultural competency across social and health services, and monitoring the outcomes of services to Maori.

The Whanau Ora philosophy puts family at the centre of policy, and would require government agencies to work with whanau on issues that affect them, in health, education, disability and justice.

The Maori Party supports a restorative justice system, and alternatives to prison. There are also specific policies for local controls on gambling and for legislation against tobacco.

Maori Party launches economic policy

14 October 2008
 

Tax relief for those on lowest incomes, small business development and better targeting of government funding to achieve positive outcomes for Maori are three key planks of the Maori Party’s economic policies, released today in Flaxmere, Hawkes Bay.

But behind the details released today are two more ambitious goals – developing an integrated Genuine Progress Index to measure social, cultural and environmental costs and benefits as part of economic performance, and adopting a Whanau Ora approach to social policy issues.

Economic policies announced today covered taxation and social responsibility, environment and resource management, business development, and eliminating child poverty.

The party argues that the government is better placed than individuals and their families to weather an economic downturn, and it should borrow to prevent beneficiaries and low-paid workers and their children falling into poverty.

It says an official poverty level should be set at 60% of the median household disposable income, and benefit levels should match this. There should be no tax on incomes up to $25,000, and food should be exempt from GST. The minimum wage would rise to $15 per hour.

The party believes efficiences can be gained by unbundling government funding spent on Maori across the social policy sector, reviewing outcomes, and redirecting budgets into programmes to achieve positive outcomes for Maori.

Speaking at the launch today, local candidate for Ikaroa-Rawhiti, Derek Fox, said 27% of Maori children live in poverty, and 150,000 children are categorised as living in ‘severe and significant hardship’ – so the government cannot afford not to eliminate poverty.

Mr Fox quoted Child Poverty Action Group figures that the discrimination inherent in the in-work tax credit had cost the families of unemployed people $3-4 billion since 1996.

He said traditional Maori businesses in the rural sector are heavily exposed to global market forces, and the costs of policies to slow climate change. However Maori have a strong entrepreneurial tradition, and the party advocates Maori businesses co-operating to achieve economies of scale.

On the environment front, the party’s focus is sustainable development, promoting renewable energy development, cutting pollution, and minimising the impact of carbon pricing on low-income families.

Access to education opens the pathway to the future: Maori Party

14 October 2008

The huge potential of young people, and the youth of the Maori population, make education a critical focus for the Maori Party.

At the party’s policy launch today in Flaxmere, education spokesperson Te Ururoa Flavell said 46% of the Maori population are 19 years and under.

“This is a massive contrast to the total NZ population – where only 29% are 19 years and under. We have to get it right for them, for us – for it is the children of today who inherit the earth – who will care for us in our old age.”

The policy shows a strong emphasis on early childhood education, with a focus on quality programmes and easy access.

In the compulsory education sector, the Maori Party is calling for professional development for teachers and stronger incentives for schools, to engage their Maori students better, and to raise their expectations of success.

The principle of open access is carried into tertiary education, with universal allowances at the same level as the unemployment benefit, and more apprenticeships and industry training.

Mr Flavell says education is about transferring knowledge between generations, so his generation should not charge the next for the education he received for free.

He listed statistics showing Maori under-achievement at school, and the lower incomes and job security that result. He said these issues are especially problematic in an economic downturn.

“But education is not just about readiness for the workforce. Education enables young people to make good choices about their future; it is also vital to equip students for life,” he said.

“We also ascribe to the view, that the people are best able to determine their own solutions. And so we want to encourage greater freedom to supplement Maori educational outcomes with whanau, hapu and iwi models of education.”

The Maori Party would allow Playcentres and Kohanga Reo to offer 20 hours of free early childhood education, and increase services in poor areas. ECE centres would teach healthy lifestyles, computer skill and encourage the use of home languages and dialects.

The teaching workforce in primary and secondary schools would be boosted, especially Maori language teachers, and support staff paid more. A Maori Education Authority would oversee develeopment of iwi-based education services.

Tertiary student fees would gradually be reduced, and loans only be repaid after graduates started earning 150% of the average wage. Industry training, especially in sectors like fishing and farming where Maori are big players, would be increased.

Policy on Maori language and broadcasting was also released today. It established that iwi control of te reo should be maintained, with the Crown supporting their efforts to revitalise and develop their languages, including through mainstream cultural institutions.

The Maori Party also proposed establishing a Centre for Maori Language Excellence, and steps to protect iwi ownership of traditional intellectual property.