1. RAHUI KATENE (Māori Party—Te Tai Tonga) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
How will his commitment to addressing “the challenges of our shared future as New Zealanders” in respect of Te Tiriti o Waitangi address the challenge left by the United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples, of “the extreme disadvantage in the social and economic conditions of the Māori people”?
Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) Link to this
The Government is doing a lot to address the issues that the member refers to. We have accelerated the Treaty settlement process towards a goal of settling all claims by 2014. Since November 2008 we have reached 39 significant negotiation milestones, including seven deeds of settlement. That compares with the previous Labour Government’s average of just 1.6 deeds of settlement per year. I believe this is an area where New Zealand is a leader, and I note that the special rapporteur himself acknowledged the significant benefits coming from the settlements that have already been achieved. The Government has also launched Whānau Ora, Cabinet has agreed to repeal the Foreshore and Seabed Act, and we have expressed our support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. I could go on, but I would like to note how much I value the National Party’s confidence and supply partnership with the Māori Party, and I look forward to working with it to achieve even more in the future.
How will the Government address the observation of the special rapporteur on indigenous rights that “the Treaty’s principles appear to be vulnerable to political discretion, resulting in their perpetual insecurity and instability.”?
The member will be aware that the Government has agreed, as part of the confidence and supply agreement with the Māori Party, to undertake a constitutional review. That constitutional review will be a process where we engage with all New Zealanders, and, notwithstanding the view that it will be a long conversation, we look forward to embarking upon that conversation.
What is the intention of the Government in terms of addressing what the special rapporteur described as the “continued and persistent high levels of incarceration of Maori individuals.”?
The Government is working hard on that issue. We launched, some time ago now, a review around the drivers of crime. The Associate Minister of Corrections works alongside the Minister of Corrections with a special focus on how we can ensure that fewer Māori go to prison. One of the key ways that we can do that, in our view, is to work on issues like national standards. We know that if young New Zealanders cannot read and write properly, they cannot have a future in the modern economy. That could lead to them being incarcerated.
Hon Parekura Horomia Link to this
Kei tāna kōrero, e pai ana te haere o te mahi umanga ēngari, nā te pire iwa tekau ngā rā e pana tangata, kei te mahi taumaha me te pouri; e tere atu te ngarongaro o te mahi mō tātou a ngāi Māori; kei te piki te nama, kei te itiiti te utu. He aha tāna whakautu ki tenei?
How can he claim to be addressing the economic conditions of Māori, when the extension of the 90-day fire-at-will bill will make it harder for Māori to find and hold on to a job, and when increasing prices are outstripping wage growth, making a bad economic situation even worse; what is his response to this?
The member is misguided. In fact, the bill will help Māori to find a job, because it is a policy aimed at opportunity, a policy aimed at giving people a chance, and a policy aimed at helping in particular young Māori who are locked out of the labour market, which is why unemployment rates for young Māori are so high. It is a policy that that member should be embracing, and if he was thinking straight, he would be doing that.