Rahui Katene
Maori Party
Finance Spokesperson

MEDIA STATEMENT
30 November 2009

Maori Party to look carefully at 2025 report

The Maori Party will continue to advocate for whanau Maori, particularly those on low-incomes, as the Government considers the 2025 Economic Taskforce report released today.

“We are yet to analyse and digest the detail of the 150-page report and its 35 recommendations,”Maori Party finance spokesperson Rahui Katene said.

One of the recommendations in the report promoted bridging the income gap between New Zealand and Australia, and while the Maori Party was keen to see this happen, it was interested to see how it would be achieved.

“There are more than 300,000 Maori in Australia and it’s fair to say that many of them moved over there in search of higher incomes,” Mrs Katene said.

“I’m sure many of our whanau will welcome the opportunity to earn more money without moving away from home but the question we will be asking is ‘do they have to lose an arm, a leg, their language, culture and identity to get that?’”

The Maori Party would also be looking closely at the taskforce’s tax reform recommendation.

“The chair of the taskforce Don Brash has been widely reported talking about flat tax, which we all know has placed more strain on vulnerable Maori families in the past.

“If the intention of the taskforce is to adopt flat tax as a priority over gradual tax then we will be vehemently opposing that,” she said.

The average income for a Maori family living in New Zealand is about $51,000. In Australia, the average family income was $64,000.

"Comparison with Australia may be a helpful benchmark but the real issue is not closing the gaps, but New Zealand realising its full potential economically.

“We need to find indigenous solutions to New Zealand's economic problems, solutions that are driven by New Zealanders. We should be extremely selective about the ideas we adopt from overseas.”

ENDS

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