Pacific communities let down
The Government needs to be straight up and accept they have failed to deliver for Pacific communities, Labour’s Pacific
Island Affairs spokesperson Su’a William Sio says.
“It is disingenuous for the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs, Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga to list off a raft of wonderful
undertakings that will supposedly lift the skills of Pacific peoples when he has little understanding of the real issues
they are facing.
“Asked in Parliament today whether he was taking the credit for raising the number of Pacific youth, aged 15-24, not in
education, employment or training from 16.7 per cent in 2008 to 20.1 per cent in 2013, he didn’t even know the figures
existed.
“They are supplied by Statistics New Zealand, a government agency, and they are frightening.
“National is good at trumpeting things they are supposedly doing, but on the ground where it counts most Pacific people
are not seeing any improvement at all.”
Ends