Maori Party turning focus on poverty

Maori people have borne the brunt of the last lean years - so the Maori Party has been pleased to bring a focus on poverty to this year's Budget, co-leader Tariana Turia says.

Its three MPs had punched above their weight by using their relationship agreement with the National Party. "It wouldn't probably be on the front of their radar to do certain things if we weren't there. We also know that everybody wants a fair and just society and we need to invest in some areas more than others."

Top of that list was $47 million to get 3000 Maori and Pasifika young people into apprenticeships and cadetships. Mrs Turia said it was her husband's apprenticeship and ability to then start his own business that lifted her own family out of poverty.

"We need employers who have trades to give serious consideration to taking on Maori and Pacific young people, like they did in the 1950s and 60s. George and others were really fortunate to have employers who cared about young people. This is a time when we need employers to put aside some of the prejudices they might have and give them a go. Treated well and respectfully, they can go on to make big contributions."

Those contributions would be needed in 2050, when the demographic face of New Zealand had changed, Mrs Turia said.

"We need to make sure that those kids are starting down a path of economic prosperity now, and not in 2050."

Other budget measures to alleviate poverty are $100 million investment in insulating houses and $21 million in preventing rheumatic fever.

Also on the housing front, state houses are to be checked for their fitness, and those checks may be extended to private rentals.

"There's nothing stopping councils now from using their regulations to go in and look at very sub-standard houses."

A fund of $12 million will be made available as loans or grants to pay for roads, water, power and sewerage when people want to build houses on their own land.

Previous rural lending schemes were not well used because they put up barriers, Mrs Turia said.

"We have got a lot of work to do with councils to change rules and put those into the district plans."

A new programme will allow beneficiaries to borrow money and buy new whiteware under guarantee, rather than secondhand gear that broke down.

And the Government is to pilot a micro-finance scheme, where people will be able to borrow money from banks and NGOs to repay their debt, "instead of the 40 per cent being charged by loan sharks".

"Some banks are looking at 12 per cent, but we want lower than that," she said.

There is also $60 million to promote Maori language, through teacher training and creative measures such as whanau hubs.

"We're not seeing a huge growth in the te reo space. We know that we need to do more," Mrs Turia said.

The Minister for Whanau Ora also said an announcement about a new structure was imminent and it would probably grow. "Government has seen some big transformations taking place within families, but it hasn't all been plain sailing. We know that many of the families can transform themselves almost immediately. Others have issues and we need to take an investment approach rather than a punitive one."