Speech from Dr Pita Sharples at the Maori Party Tamaki
Makaurau launch
Saturday 1 October 2011; 2pm
Manurewa Netball Courts, Manurewa
The Mâori Party is the only true Mâori Party in
Parliament;
No other Party, including Labour or Mana, is 100%
Mâori—let me say that again, no other Party, including
Labour or Mana, is tûturu Mâori;
No other Party has 100% Mâori leadership—the Mâori
Party does.
No other Party has 100% Mâori caucus members—the Mâori
Party does.
No other Party has 100% Mâori kaupapa—the Mâori Party
does.
No other Party has 100% Mâori representation at
Cabinet—the Mâori Party does;
A vote for the Mâori Party is a vote for Mâori;
The National Party are likely to lead the next Government
with the ACT Party; neither Labour nor Mana will be there;
they will be in opposition—a Vote for the Mâori Party is
a vote to challenge National and ACT at the Cabinet table;
I invite you to continue the struggle – and not to walk
away;
A vote for Mana; a vote for Labour is a cry in the
wilderness; it is a vote to protest from outside Government,
to complain from outside Cabinet. A vote for Mana; a vote
for Labour is to be excluded from decision-making and be
only spectators. A vote for the Mâori Party is a vote to
challenge, a vote to be heard, a vote to continue the
struggle within the halls of Kawanatanga;
To say that an independent Mâori voice has to be in
opposition is cheap; it cheapens the Mâori activism in our
communities, it cheapens the Mâori activism of our
history; it cheapens the activism demonstrated by all
Mâori who stick to the kaupapa day-to-day. All Mâori are
activists in their own way;
The Mâori Party has been proud to advance Mâori activism
within Government and at the Cabinet table; for example, we
have revolutionised the social policy with Whânau Ora; we
have revolutionised our rights with adopting the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and
we have began the process of revolutionising our nation with
the Constitutional Review—this is the difference we are
making;
Individual battles or policies may be won or lost, but
revolutionaries focus on the overall struggle—no person or
policy is bigger than the kaupapa. The Mâori Party belongs
to the people, and we, your current members of parliament
are the kaitiaki of the kaupapa that belongs to us all,
it’s our taonga so we need to look after it, through the
good times and the bad;
I invite you to continue the revolution;
We are the mighty Mâori Party and I want to be your
candidate for Tâmaki Makaurau.
As MP for Tâmaki Makaurau I am proud to serve this
electorate;
In the last three budgets, we secured $620 million for Iwi,
Hâpu & Whânau;
The Auckland Mâori Statutory Board establishes Mâori
Representation on the Auckland Supercity – and throughout
the region;
Kaitoko Whânau, Oranga Whânau, Mâra Kai and Whânau
Ora programmes are assisting and supporting Whânau;
Mâori have been front and centre on the Rugby World Cup
Stage, Free-to-Air coverage on Mâori Television and soon
to be launched Waka Mâori;
Kaupapa Mâori reintegration of whânau coming out of
prison: Whare Oranga Ake;
Enhancing educational achievement for our mokopuna,
Establishing Reading Together Literacy Programme, Tâtaiako
Cultural Competency and Te Aho Matua Curriculum;
These are just a few of the ways Tâmaki Mâkaurau has
been supported and advanced.
I would now like to turn to today’s Mâori Party policy
announcements; we will be announcing a series of polices in
the lead up to our AGM in the weekend of 29-30 October.
Cultural Competency
Earlier this week, my colleague Rahui Katene announced at
her campaign launch for Te Tai Tonga, one of our first
policies—to extend cultural competency. Earlier this year
we implemented a policy called Tataiako—cultural
competency for teachers to improve educational achievement
for our tamariki. Now we will extend that policy to cover
every ministry and department across the whole of
government—cultural competency for our public servants;
Today I would like to announce a policy around strengthening
communities and whânau; First, let me recap on our some of
our baselines:
We will continue to push for GST Off Food;
We will continue to push for a Minimum Wage of $15 as a
starting point;
We will continue to push for no tax on the first $25,000;
These polices are longstanding Mâori Party policies—and
I welcome the Labour Party’s recent adoption of
these—better late than never;
In an environment of economic recession we established a
Mâra Kai programme; over 500 Mâra Kai were developed
across Aotearoa and provided whânau with access to kai as
an immediate measure of support.
With commentators talking of second recession, the Mâori
Party wants to ensure that every whânau has access to aka
kai. Food security should be the basis of any economic
policy that allows communities to be nourished, healthy,
resilient and self-sustainable;
Mâra Kai provides also provides the ability to lessen the
impacts from natural disasters that wipe out crops and the
current unstable global economy;
The Mâori Party will expand Mâra Kai and provide support
for gardens for co-op communities, schools, marae and
whânau collectives right across Aotearoa;
Justice
The second policy I would like to announce today is our
Justice policy;
For most Mâori, justice in New Zealand is not positive; it
is a system that is unfair, biased and prejudiced. The
justice system, including the police, courts and
corrections, systematically discriminates against Mâori;
Maori offenders are more likely to have police contact; to
be charged; to lack legal representation; not to be granted
bail; to plead guilty; to be convicted; to be sentenced to
non-monetary penalties; to be denied release to home
detention;
For the same crimes, Mâori are arrested at three-times the
rate of non-Mâori;
Mâori are four to five times more likely to be
apprehended, prosecuted and convicted than their non-Mâori
counterparts—and in the case of Mâori aged 10-13 this is
six times more likely;
Mâori are seven times more likely to be given a custodial
sentence and eleven times more likely to be remanded in
custody awaiting trail;
Of course, I only need to mention the so-called unjust and
invasive terrorism raids against our beautiful whânaunga
of Tûhoe;
And the statistics of bias throughout the whole justice
system go on and on—until we arrive at the final one. At
the end of 2010, Mâori made up 51% of the prison
population; despite only accounting for 15% of the
population;
This systematic discrimination is totally unacceptable—the
Mâori Party will push for a review into the entire Justice
system;
In being guided by He Whaipaanga Hou written by Moana
Jackson; we must begin with restructuring the Justice system
upon the basis of the Treaty of Waitangi and the foundation
of partnership;
A justice system that encompases te ao Mâori, tikanga
Mâori, mâtauranga Mâori—principles and practices of
Mâori justice. A justice system that breathes Mâori
lore; a systematic shift to produce institutions and
programmes designed, developed and delivered—by Mâori,
for Mâori, with Mâori;
No-one can ignore that there are real issues that need to be
addressed when we look at Maori over-representation
particularly in our prisons. 90% of prisoners have
significant literacy issues; 90% have drug and alcohol
issues.
It costs over $90,0000 a year to keep a prisoner; it costs a
billion dollars a year to run the Department of Corrections
– our policy responds to these issues.
We have been impressed by the work led by Rethinking Crime
and Punishment, to make restorative justice more available;
to work with iwi and whanau to reduce Maori imprisonment; to
find a better way:
We understand that this systematic transformation will take
time, so in the meantime the Mâori Party will advance the
following policies:
We will throw out the three-strikes legislation;
We will extend Whare Ora Ake to every prison site;
We will initiate Computers in Cells to foster literacy and
numeracy;
We will support whanau focused alcohol and drug, addiction,
recovery and restoration services; including within prisons
We will reintroduce preferred lawyer status—legal aid;
We will review the protocols around police use of guns and
tasers;
We will shut down the Independent Police Conduct Authority;
and establish an Anti-Corruption Commission; it is essential
that the public has trust and confidence in the NZ Police
and wider justice system; and
We will advocate for fair, appropriate compensation for all
the women who appeared before the Commission of Inquiry into
Police Misconduct.
Wellington