18 June 2014

Make it Two Ticks says Te Hira Paenga

Te Tai Tokerau candidate for the Māori Party, Te Hira Paenga, has spoken in support of the Tick 4 Kids campaign and has suggested that we should actually be calling for Two Ticks - one for tamariki and one for whānau.

"We stand with other parties who have pledged today to put children at the centre of their decision-making - and I was proud to represent the Māori Party at the launch this morning at Grey Lynn School in Auckland," said Reverend Paenga.

"But we also hold true to the call from our people, for a whānau-centred approach to wellbeing to be absolutely paramount in every policy we develop".

"The Māori Party called for an inquiry into the determinants of wellbeing for Māori children, in September 2011. That report received 117 submissions from across the country and reported back in December last year. Its key statement was "the wellbeing of tamariki Māori is inextricable from the wellbeing of their whānau".

"We stand tall in the strength of a collective identity - as indeed do so many cultures whether it be tangata whenua, Pasifika, Asian or many other nations who live in this land Aotearoa".

"Our whānau, our families are our future - and the health and wellbeing of all of our children is central to that.

"As part of the outcomes we negotiated in the establishment of the Ministerial Committee on Poverty, the Maori Party advocated for an investment of $90 million over three years from 1 July 2015 so primary school-aged children can go to a doctor for free, any time of the day or night, and get their prescriptions free as well. More than 400,000 primary school-aged children and their families will benefit from this investment in all children aged under 13. When our children are well; our whanau are well - it's win-win all around".

"The Māori Party is a movement which is kaupapa based - driven by a philosophy in which we know that success for children is possible when whānau are actively engaged in the decisions that affect every aspect of their life.

"We will continue to uphold the priority that we have given towards prioritising the needs and aspirations of whānau in doing what is best for themselves - including creating a great future for all of their tamariki and mokopuna".

ENDS

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