Maori Party calls for cross-party talks on child poverty - Rahui Katene

Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement

Rahui Katene, MP for Te Tai Tonga
Wednesday 9 February 2011; 4.30pm

For the average New Zealander the world of politics must be hard to fathom.

Over recent weeks the news that has captivated the headlines has been whether particular politicians have dyed their hair; should the Prime Minister mince on the catwalk and say that Liz Hurley is hot; or what is appropriate behaviour and conduct beffiting of MPs.

What seems to have slipped below the radar is the fact that a crisis is occurring in our hospital admissions.

That’s the fact that medical conditions which occur more frequently for children living in poverty have been increasing over recent years – particularly for Maori and Pasifika children.

Or that close to 250,000 children are living in homes reliant on the benefit for income.

My colleague, Te Ururoa Flavell, last night spelt out some of the consequences of families living in severe or significant hardship.

Families who go without fruit and vegetables; who put up with the cold to save on heating costs; who delay going to the doctor of the dentist, or live in cramped conditions, who tell their children that the opportunity to go on a school trip or play sport is a privilege which they can ill afford.

Is this a nation fit for our tamariki?

We need to heed the research which shows us there can be a different life for our babies, if we make it a priority.

Last year I spoke at the launching in Dunedin of the New Zealand Children's Social Health Monitor Report 2010.

That report revealed the inevitable, that economic recessions have affected children’s health in other countries. And we saw research indicating the close correlation between recessions and high hospitalisations in New Zealand.

However, it also reported on the experience of Sweden in the 1990s where, despite large numbers of children living in low income families, there were no significant increases in childhood hospitalisations for poverty-related illnesses.

I remind the House of the question I asked the Minister of Health earlier today.

In Question-time today, I noted that in 2010; 2000 more children were admitted to hospital with poverty-related illnesses than during 2007-08.

We’re talking about admissions for respiratory problems, infectious diseases, and other conditions with links to poor housing and economic hardship –all diseases of poverty which could have been prevented if children were taken to see a doctor earlier.

The Prime Minister said yesterday, when talking about these very children – the children who suffer the consequences of long term dependency – that “the Government is not prepared to leave those people behind”.

That was welcome news for the Maori Party

But statements are at risk of becoming platitudes without a plan in place.

Slogans and placards are great for the camera, but where is the strategy to put the words into action?

I’ll tell the House where it is – it’s in the Relationship and Confidence and Supply Agreement between National and the Maori Party.

In that document we spelt it in black and white – the Maori Party seeks significant outcomes in whanau ora, through eliminating poverty.

Not content with that, we then made child poverty a key platform in our economic policy. In our policy approach to end child poverty by 2020, we stated that successive governments and their policies have created policy problems in our land of plenty.

And so we put the time and the effort into investing in the promise of prosperity.

We called for seven simple solutions to support child, whanau and families.

• We will set a deadline to eliminate child poverty by 2020;

• We will designate an official poverty line at 60 percent of the median household disposable income after housing costs and set net income for those on benefits at this measure to prevent poverty.

• We will increase minimum wage to at least $15 an hour.

• We will raise core benefit levels, including superannuation, veteran’s pensions.

• We will simplify Working for Families including extending the ‘in-work’ payment to all families.

• We will investigate the reintroduction of a Universal Child Benefit ;

• We will establish a ‘Neighbourhood Renewal’ Fund, which may include incentives to encourage living more collectively, eg community gardens, afterschool care, post-natal support for parents.

And there were other cross-sector priorities that we have brought to the attention of this Government.

We have talked about the adoption of the Genuine Progress Index rather than the continuing reliance on GDP as the only measure of the health of a nation.

We proposed the establishment of an ‘Every Child Matters’ Fund. This is a targeted and time-limited grant to ensure, among other things that no child starts school without a raincoat or shoes.

We have put pressure on Government to expand retrofit programmes to ensure houses can meet the achievable Warm House Standard targets.

Mr Speaker, I’ve love to say that we have achieved all these priorities and life for our children has improved.

And indeed, there have been some big gains which have very directly come from our relationship with the Government.

One of the most significant things we have achieved, has been the investment of some $323 million for retrofit housing to insulate and heat homes built before 2000.
We were pleased to know that priority would be given to homes with families suffering poor health – a disproportionate number of whom will be whanau Maori. The opportunity for community service card holders to be eligible for a grant of up to $3000 was also really important.

18 months ago, the Government put $320,000 into KidsCan StandTall’s food in schools scheme – which will make the difference for something like 7500 children.

The minimum wage did increase – but only a mere twenty five cents.
And yes Benefits and Superannuation payments did increase some 1.96% - but it was an April Fools Day increase which just kept pace with the cost of living.
But as for any substantial, meaningful difference made in terms of addressing child poverty, well we’re still waiting.

But the Maori Party is not a party that sits and waits for another day. Nor is it our Party policy to wail and weep, if we don’t have a strategy in hand. Our policy approach has always been to face the risk, to take a step forward, and to do all that we can to make the gains and create a positive difference.

And so, just before Christmas I wrote to every party in the House, seeking their support to hold Parliamentary cross-party talks on child poverty.

It was not just my bright idea. At the Children’s Social Health Monitor launch last year, members of the audience asked if politicians could work together to eliminate this disgrace.

This is all the opportunity we need to turn around public perception of politicians, and to work together, collaboratively, on the things that really matter.

We know that in investing in education, social services and access to free health care, the impacts of poverty and recession on children can be dramatically reduced.

I’ve got a raft of ideas, and the enthusiasm to match. I’ve been following up with individual members. Now all I’m waiting for is the responses from right across the House declaring our collective concern for the wellbeing of our children.

ENDS

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