2. RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister for Social Development and Employment
What reports, if any, has he received on the Government’s further progress at supporting New Zealanders into work?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE (Minister for Social Development and Employment) Link to this
I can advise the House that this Government continues to have great success in supporting New Zealanders into work. As members will be aware, unemployment benefit numbers have fallen from 161,000 under National to just under 40,000 last year. I advise the House today that with further job-search support services provided through Work and Income, unemployment benefit numbers have fallen even further—reducing by 5,000 in the last month alone. The number of people on the unemployment benefit has now been further reduced to 32,000, which is the lowest level since 1982.
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
In the last year the number of working-age benefit recipients has fallen from 293,000 to 269,000. That is a fall in 1 year of 24,000. That equates to 66 people a day, every day, who are no longer reliant on a benefit. In the last month alone, all benefit categories saw a reduction. Sickness and invalids benefit numbers fell by 40, domestic purposes benefit numbers fell by 850, and unemployment benefit numbers fell by 5,200.
Hone HarawiraKia ora, Madam Speaker. Kia ora tātoui te Whare. Is the Minister aware of the comments of one of his predecessors, the Hon Rick Barker, who said, in December 2003: “Of the 8,055 Māori unemployed for more than 6 months who achieved stable employment outcomes in the year ending June 2003, 3,556 had re-enrolled by November 2003.”, and does he agree that nearly 50 percent of the unemployed going back on the dole within 6 months confirms the widely held view that this Government’s grand plans to get Māori into work have been an abject and miserable disaster; if not, why not?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
I am certainly aware of the excellent efforts of my predecessor in part of this portfolio—and I compliment him on his timely arrival in the House. I say to that member that he seems to have missed one important fact, which is that Māori unemployment reduced by 70 percent from January 1999 to January this year—from 15,174 people to just 4,525.
Judith CollinsWhy is the Minister planning to bring in thousands of unskilled foreign seasonal workers to pick fruit, when thousands of able-bodied working-age people are sitting on the unemployment benefit in Hawke’s Bay and the Bay of Plenty right now?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
I am sure the member is only too aware of the fact that New Zealanders, especially the unemployed, have first call on those jobs. I will read to her the words of Peter Silcock from Horticulture New Zealand in a press release dated 7 March: “The industry and government have been working together on ensuring enough seasonal labour is available, in Hawke’s Bay and around the country, for a number of years. The industry is very pleased with the effort government has made to help industry meet its expanding labour needs.”
Russell Fairbrother Link to this
In addition to the reports the Minister has already told us about, what other reports has he seen concerning benefit numbers?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
I have recently seen an extraordinary report that inflates the number of people on a benefit by 10 percent by sourcing the statement from old 2005 data; that pretends there has been no change to the number of long-term unemployed, when, in fact, that number has reduced from 70,000 under a National Government to 13,000 today, which is an 80 percent reduction; and that claims that New Zealand unemployment and incapacity benefits are tracking in the same way as those of Australia and the UK, when, in fact, New Zealand numbers are reducing at least four times as quickly as those of those jurisdictions. Those comments were made by John Key on the Agenda programme on Saturday, and show his now characteristic disregard for the facts.
Kia ora, Madam Speaker. Kia ora tātoui te Whare. I thank the Minister for his positive remarks about Māori unemployment. Does the Minister agree that unemployment rates for Māori still being three times higher than those for non-Māori highlights a massive and ongoing failure in the Government’s ability to support Māori into work; and is the Government willing to admit its mistake in shutting down the closing the gaps policy, just as the Ministry of Education admitted yesterday that it had made a mistake in removing the Treaty from the curriculum?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
No and no. What it shows is the good sense of the high priority this Government has given in the past, and continues to give, to unemployment issues.
Madam SPEAKERWhen a member of the Opposition was asking a question, he sought silence. When a member on the other side of the House is asking a question, that member should not be shouted down. So would the Minister please ask his question.
Hon Parekura Horomia Link to this
Can the Minister confirm that Māori are going into work five to six times more quickly than any other race in this country?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
Yes, I can confirm that success. Of course, when one starts from a higher percentage of unemployment, even greater success takes a long time to benchmark out.
I seek leave of the House to table a report headed “Fruit left to rot as growers face major pickers shortage”; it is in relation to the Hawke’s Bay and fruit pickers.
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
I seek leave of the House to table a release dated 7 March this year from Horticulture New Zealand in relation to Hawke’s Bay’s seasonal labour needs that says exactly the opposite.