Vote 2020: Salesa's Taupō trip touches on portfolio areas

Jenny Salesa (in red) and Labour candidate Ala' Al Bustanji (to her right) met with members of the Tokelauan community in Taupo on Tuesday. Photo / Rachel Canning

It was a flying visit to Taupō for Cabinet minister Jenny Salesa on Tuesday.

Salesa met with interest groups related to her portfolio. Ms Salesa is Minister for Building & Construction, Customs, and Ethnic Communities and is Associate Minister for Education, and Health.

In the morning, Salesa toured new houses being built at Wharewaka. She said regarding state houses there was a demand for one or two bedroom homes and that is what would be built. She was unsure how Taupō fared in terms of state houses per capita.

Feedback from builders she met was that the Construction Sector Accord should ensure a pipeline of work that is continuous.

"The industry want to move from annual contracts to multi-year contracts," she said.

Meeting with members of the Tokelauan community at the Taupō Cosmopolitan Club, Salesa shared that she was born in Tonga and lived there until she was 16 and is married to a Samoan.

Members of the Tokelauan community asked questions about payments made by immigrants from the Tokelauan Resettlement Scheme, raised concerns they had about teaching the Tokelauan language to their descendants, and asked about accessing money for the Hall O Tokelau in Taupō.

Salesa acknowledged that research carried out since she has held office shows Pasifika students face racism and discrimination in New Zealand schools.

Meeting with school principals, Salesa said she received feedback on community of learning scheme Kāhui Ako. She said the schools and early learning centres that were part of Kāhui Ako were in support of the model, while those who were not involved in Kāhui Ako gave negative feedback. She said educators sent her a strong message that not enough is being done for children with special needs.

Salesa was accompanied by the Labour candidate for the Taupō electorate, Ala' Al-Bustanji.