MEDIA STATEMENT

Hon Dr Pita Sharples

Co-Leaders, Maori Party

26 November 2010

Maori Party wants generational dependency addressed

The Maori Party says it is committed to reducing generational Maori dependency on welfare benefits, but that it will not support doing that through State-sanctioned birth control.

“The options paper from the Government’s welfare working group is worth considering, but we question the approach implied in the options,” Maori Party co-leader Dr Pita Sharples said.

“We want our people in work, living positive lives, but it is not the place of the State to control when people should have babies.

“Excessive Government interference in people's personal lives just makes them feel they have less control and responsibility for themselves, it makes them more dependent, and in the long term, makes the problem of benefit dependency even worse.”

The State had a responsibility to protect the vulnerable, Dr Sharples said.

“Our party is very concerned at one of the options which would ‘tie the beginning of work expectations to the age of the first child rather than subsequent children of a parent who enters the benefit system.’

“We are not averse to having the discussion about the broad range of options on the table for debate but we believe that whanau ora is a solution to addressing intergenerational welfare dependency.

“We believe there are often many inter-related reasons why individuals become dependent on benefits and you need to look to the wider whanau to find solutions.

“The best situation is where whanau are able to look after each other and take responsibility for the welfare of the whanau as a whole, with temporary help from the state if necessary.

“That is why we support the whanau ora approach which aims to empower and strengthen whanau to be more resilient and self-sufficient.”

ENDS

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