Address and Reply Speech: Hon Tariana Turia
Wednesday 11 February 2009; 4.10pm
Minister of Community and Voluntary Sector

The Speech from the Throne delivered by Prime Minister John Key spoke of the desire of New Zealanders, as expressed at the polls, for a fresh approach to our country's challenges.

Within a fortnight of the ballot boxes being closed, negotiations were being sealed for the formation of a new Government, strengthened with the tripartite confidence and supply agreements.

And for the first time in the history of this country, an agreement to Government was signed which recognised the importance of mana maintenance and enhancement for both parties.

I want to acknowledge the courage of this Government, to state upfront, their commitment with the Maori Party, to act in accordance with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

We have been proud that our agreement establishes the opportunity to examine our constitutional arrangements and significantly, to initiate as a priority, a review of the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

In this Parliament, we must be brave enough to build on the foundation of change and challenge sweeping through our land. We must look anew at ways to achieve greater security, permanent peace, and to invest in the wellbeing of all.

A key statement in our confidence and supply agreement was the recognition that the Maori Party seeks significant outcomes in whanau ora.

In the agreement we suggested this would be achieved through eliminating poverty, advocating for social justice and advancing Maori social, cultural, economic and community development.

These are the outcomes that will demonstrate whanau ora is achieved.

Outcomes which surpass traditional measurements of inputs and outputs and instead recognise the full value that can be added to our economy, our communities, our families.

Question-time in this House is often fixated with what may be seen as conventional measures of success - the inputs, outputs, services, programmes, funding contracts, budgets, specifications.

While the numbers and dollars are counted by the number crunchers, there is always the risk that analysts become far more focused on the time, the money and the goods invested, than the ultimate goal of any particular intervention.

As Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, this is an area that I am looking at as providing us with new insights, new avenues of thinking for how to build stronger and more strategic organisations.

As a case in point, I am impressed with the report, Counting for More, produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

This report focused on organisations in the tangata whenua, community and voluntary sector, targeting Literacy Aotearoa and Plunket as case studies.

The project mapped out specific outcomes – measures such as reduced family violence or rates of unintentional injury of children for Plunket; and in the case of Literacy Aotearoa, outcomes such as income, education and employability and improved home life.

It measured what counts –the tangible difference made to people’s lives. Measuring what counts is what will make the greatest progress towards achieving performing organisations.

We need to embrace the willingness to change, to do things differently, to be more creative, to cooperate with others groups, and to build for the future.

Counting for More proved without doubt, that the outcomes for people who use services provided by voluntary welfare organisations are often significantly understated and undervalued.

It demonstrated that across justice, health, social wellness, and education investment in the community can actually achieve significant cost savings across agencies, government and families and communities.

The greatest challenge in these times must be to trust in communities to find solutions rather than topping up a contracting regime that is taking us nowhere.

We need to be firm in our resolve that some of our most intractable problems will be best managed through encouraging ownership and innovation from local communities to find their own solutions.

Last night in this House, my colleague, Te Ururoa Flavell, talked about the trouble that has recently gone down in Murupara, and the commitment of the local people to work with their community leaders, to engage with the gangs, and to address the issues in their own way.

They have negotiated their way about an enduring solution to the community conflict that keeps erupting and disrupting their lives.

They are engaging directly with the gangs in a process governed by mana orite (equal mana) to work out protocols based on the tikanga of tatou pounamu (permanent peace) and away from the tikanga of utu.

It is an approach based on old ways – a tikanga based model – to try to work with their community – including those who participate in gangs –to create solutions that they can all own.

It is an approach based on face to face contact – what we know as kanohi i te kanohi. It is an approach which stands strong in their determination to say that if any one group is targeted as a problem; then it is vital that that same group is targeted to come up with the solutions.

Another community driven model I want to speak of, is the kapai kai project based in Maraenui. This project has involved a group working over the last four years, delivering kai to all their families across Maraenui.

The outcomes are wide and various: it provides access to fresh affordable vegetables; it reorientates families towards cooking nutritious family meals as part of the programme; and it encompasses a focus on health, nutrition and physical exercise.

The outcomes are tangible – able to be proven on paper – with qualifications in organic horticulture and rongoa leading on to employment opportunities.

The Maraenui Medical Centre has come on board and monitors the health of the whanau participating this the Kapai Kai project; observing notable differences in the health and wellbeing of all those who attend.

And if this isn’t enough proof, we can measure the outcomes in the growth of high quality crops for the local and export markets; as well as establishing the community gardens; the mara kai, as key training grounds.

Murupara and Maraenui are just two of the amazing communities making creative choices about how they can make the difference necessary to meet the needs of their own.

As we move into rocky roads ahead with the after effects of the global recession; this local autonomy will be critical in ensuring we have a solid base to ensure our communities remain in good heart.

I am really pleased to announce that later this month, on the 25th of February, Philanthropy New Zealand and the Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations are hosting a workshop on the impact of the economic downturn on the community and voluntary sector.

The workshop has been motivated by the obvious need to prepare for the days to come, as we consider strategies to manage finite resources within the context of an economic recession.

Similarly, I firmly believe that the single most important thing we could all do within our respective communities, is to reignite interest in the concept of collective care.

This doesn’t just have to reside with the Office of the Community and Voluntary Sector – the commitment to truly care for the wellbeing of your neighbours; to contribute to the greater good, is a challenge that all of us can practice.

Tena tatou katoa.

ENDS

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