Maori Party urges a "fresh look" at Benefits

Dr Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia,
Co-leaders, Maori Party

Monday 29 January 2007

The co-leaders of the Maori Party have today called for a fresh look at the complex web of income support, meaningful work, decent wages and positive participation in society.

"We have spoken out about issues which are critical concerns for the nation, and should be for every community" said Dr Sharples.

"We would hope that as political parties meet to confirm their 2007 work programme, raising these issues may encourage them to also take a fresh look".

"A key issue is the unnecessary barriers created by restrictive eligibility criteria" said Dr Sharples.

To meet the Ministerial Eligibility criteria for Taskforce Green WINZ clients must be assessed as being both 'at risk' of becoming long-term unemployed and disadvantaged in the local labour market

"Our belief is that the only criteria should be that you are unemployed" said Dr Sharples. "In an economy which is supposedly 'buoyant', one would expect these benefits to flow to all New Zealanders, not just those 'at risk'".

"We are particularly concerned that while unemployment has dropped, the youth unemployment rate remains comparatively high compared with other population sub-groups" said Dr Sharples.

The Census figures record unemployment is still consuming 11% of the Maori workforce as opposed to a national average of 5.1%.

"The story for income support is even more depressing, with 28% of Maori over 15 receiving a benefit, compared to 10.5% for the national average" said Dr Sharples.

"The Maori Party will not countenance these sorts of statistics" said Mrs Turia. "Over the summer break, as we have been listening to our people, we see the faces and hear the realities of these statistics, and we will not be silent".

"We are calling for a fresh look at the way in which we assist people to be productive, by working and participating in the society".

"To deny them the opportunity to work for a decent wage is a recipe for disaster" said Mrs Turia.

"We believe the amount of the benefit should be raised to the minimum wage; and the work should be meaningful, productive and skill-enhancing".

"Our key priority is in how society addresses the needs of school-leavers" said Mrs Turia.

"The Government has insufficient places on their alternative education programmes, and we are aware that Maori school leavers are in a particularly dire predicament, given their over-representation in the number of students leaving school without qualifications" said Mrs Turia.

"The proportion of our Maori students who leave school with qualifications higher than level one, is up to thirty percentage points behind other students".

In 2004, 74% of European and 87% of Asian students left school with qualifications higher than NCEA Level 1; compared to 47% of Maori students.

"We need to be doing everything possible to ensure there are opportunities for our young people to be gainfully employed from the moment they drop out of the schooling system".

"And yet providers have told us they are being starved of funding, they are subsequently unable to employ qualified staff or provide a full range of opportunities, and as a consequence, their students miss out again".

"The Government sets the cost per student - and as such - the crisis situation facing alternative education providers is a situation that they must address" said Mrs Turia.

"When you consider the cost for the State to take care of these young people, one would have thought that the Government would have seen this as a key investment in these young people's future" ended Mrs Turia.

ENDS

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