The Budget has received a cool reception from prominent Tauranga Maori Buddy Mikaere who described it as "not too much to get excited about".
It included setting aside $10.7 million for marae development which he said would not go very far at all. He knew of one marae that faced a bill of nearly $1 million to replace its main building.
Mr Mikaere said the Government should have given greater recognition to the role of marae in assisting the homeless and dealing with the displaced in emergencies like natural disasters.
Mr Mikaere of Ngai Tamarawaho's Huria Marae at Judea said Tauranga hapu were looking to carry on with the work of assisting homeless families, such as providing meals and laundry facilities.
"It's not all going on carvings."
Changes to income tax meant families on low to medium incomes would be able to afford the equivalent of an extra one or two blocks of cheese a week, he said
Mr Mikaere said he was also a bit disappointed about the housing focus being on Auckland which gets an extra 30,000 houses over 10 years, when there was a real issue in Tauranga.
He noted however that Tauranga, with tourism hot spots like Queenstown, had been selected as one of the eligible areas for increases in the accommodation supplement averaging $36 a week.
Mr Mikaere said the Budget would not change truisms in which Maori were in the worst socio-economic indices for health, employment, education and imprisonment.
"I can't see anything in the Budget that will change any of that."
Mr Mikaere was Ngai Tamarawaho's environmental spokesman and has helped the hapu on a number of tangata whenua and council committees.
Maori Development $93 million
- Maori tourism
- Maori housing and social initiatives
- Whanau Ora extensions
- Supporting use of te reo