Speech: Flavell - Student Loan Scheme Amendment
te-pati-maori
Mon Aug 31 2009 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Speech: Flavell - Student Loan Scheme Amendment
Monday, 31 August 2009, 11:02 am
Speech: The Maori Party
Student Loan Scheme (Exemptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Bill
Te Ururoa Flavell, MP for Waiariki
Tuesday 25 August 2009
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Māori Party—Waiariki): Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker, kia ora tātau e te Whare. I a tātau e kōrero nei i ngā take o te mātauranga, e tika ana kia huri ngā whakaaro ki tērā o ngā mātanga, ngā tohunga o roto o Tainui waka, kua ngaro atu i te tirohanga kanohi i ngā rā tata kua hipa. Ko Tūī Adams tērā. Kei runga ia i tōna marae o roto o Ngāti Maniapoto i tēnei pō, taku mōhio, koi nei te pō poroporoaki ki a ia. Āpōpō ka tukuna atu a ia ki te kōpū o Papatūānuku, e koro haere. Koia tērā i kaha tautoko nei i te āhuatanga o te Wānanga o Aotearoa i ngā tau kua hipa. Ē, ka tangi te ngākau ki a koe e koro.
Arā anō tērā o roto i Ngāti Tūwharetoa. He pērā anō te kōrero. Ko Arthur Smallman tērā, he uri o roto o Ngāti Tūwharetoa. Pērā anō hoki te āhuatanga o te kōrero. Āpōpō ka tukuna atu ai ki te kōpū o Papatūānuku. Kōrua tahi. Koutou te hunga mate, haere, whakangaro atu.
Ka hoki mai anō rā ki tēnei pire ā-mātauranga nei. Tōna mutunga, he take mātauranga tēnei. Me kī, arā noa atu te rārangi kōrero mō ngā momo tūranga mahi e kimi haere nei i ētahi hei whakakīkī i ngā whāwhārua. Arā, ko ngā tākuta, ko ngā kaiako, ko ngā kaimahi hiko, kaimahi kōrere wai, nēhi niho, kaipūtaiao, kaihoahoa, kaiwhakatauira whare rānei, ā, tae atu ki te hunga kaiahuone, arā noa atu, arā noa atu.
Koi nei ngā momo mahi i rongo nei i te ngau o te tapahi o te pūtea e kī ana, ko te pūtea tautoko akoranga. Ko te tikanga, ko ēnei pūtea he mea āwhina i te hunga e kimi mahi ana e pā ana ki tā rātau i ako ai nā runga i tōna ake hiahia, nā runga ake i tōna ao, nā runga i te āhuatanga o ngā hiahia o te hunga mahi. Engari, ko te tahua pūtea o tēnei tau, āe, i tiaki pai mai te pūteā tautoko akoranga nei engari, nō te hunga anake i ako nei tae rā nō ki te taumata tuatoru me kī, ko te mea ngā wari noa iho ki tērā taumata. Engari, mēnā e hiahia ana rātau ki te kimi haere i ngā pūkenga mō te mahi, arā, ko ngā pūkenga e hiahiatia nei e te hunga tuku mahi kia eke atu ai ngā tāngata ki ngā taumata e wawatatia ana, kātahi te Kāwanatanga ka whakaputa i tētahi whakataunga heahea rawa atu, he taiapa i whakatūria i mua i te aroaro o te hunga ako.
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Me kī, he mea ngau nei ki te ngākau o te tangata puta noa i te motu, kua puta te kōrero, te āwanga nui nei ki te Kāwanatanga engari, auare ake. Kāore te Kāwanatanga i aro mai ki tā rātou i whakatakoto mai ai.
Arā nō te whakataukī o roto i te ao Māori, ko te kai o te rangatira he kōrero, me kī, kei te pūtake o tērā, ko tēnei mea te kōrero, he kōrero rangatira ki te rangatira, arā nō te tikanga o roto i tērā momo kōrero, me whakarongo ki tā te iwi e kōrero nei ka mutu, me wānanga i roto i te ngākau ka mutu, ā, me whakaputa kōrero i muri mai. He āhua pērā anō hoki te āhuatanga o te tāone nui o Tāmaki, i pērā rawa te kōrero. Ko te tikanga me kī tēnei Kāwanatanga, me whai te Minita Hide nei i tērā kōrero, ko te kai o te rangatira he kōrero, he wānanga i te āhuatanga o ngā tūru Māori i roto o Tāmaki.
Pērā anō hoki tēnei pire, kāre te Kāwanatanga i tino rongo i ngā hiahia o te hunga i whakatakoto kōrero ki mua i a rātau, i haere tika tonu ia ā-Kāwanatanga ki runga i tōna ake huarahi. Ko tēnei pire me kī, i whakawhānui te titiro ki tēnei mea te utu hua moni kore ki te hunga i tono nei i ētahi pūtea. Arā, me kī te hunga e noho mai rarā i Niue, i Kuki Airani, i Tokerau tae atu ki tēnā whenua o Ross Dependency me kī, roa ake i ngā rā e 183. Nā, ko te tino pūtake o tērā take, me pēnei rawa te kōrero, he pai tonu i te mea i tautoko nei i te hunga o ērā whenua ki te akoako i konei ka mutu, ka hoki rātau ki ōrātau ake whenua, ā, ka taka atu ngā painga ki reira, ki ērā whenua. He pai tonu ērā mea katoa.
Nā, he paku rāwekeweke nei i te hanganga ture kia taea ai ngā mea tono moni nei me kī, he hunga mahi nei mō te kore moni, arā, o roto i ngā rōpū whakahaere āwhina tangata. Me kī, kāre rātau i rongo nei i ngā tikanga o tēnei o ngā pire mō ngā rā e pērā anō te roa, arā e 183 rā. E āhei ana te hunga nā aua tauira me kī, kua uru ki roto i ngā whare wānanga kei roto i tētahi wāhi ako ki te whai i tā rātau e pīrangi nei i tāwāhi, e wātea ata ki a rātau tēnei mea ko te utu hua moni kōre.
Arā anō ētahi atu painga, kua rahi ake te utu moni whakahoki mai i te tekau hēneti o roto i te taara kotahi eke atu ai ki te tekau mā rima hēneti mō te hunga kua āhua tūreiti te whakahoki moni mai. E whakarahi ake anō rā i te wā hei whakahoki mai i te moni me te kore rongo nei i tētahi moni nui nei i runga ake i tērā i whakaritea mai ai, mai i te 15 rā ki te 30 rā. Nā tēnā, kaua koutou e noho i te pōhēhē, he pai tonu ēnei mea, he hua o roto o ēnei āhuatanga katoa. E hāngai tonu ana ki tā te Pāti Māori i whakatakoto mai ai i ngā tau kua hipa, arā, ko tēnei mea te mātauranga o roto i ngā whare wānanga, he koha hei whakatutuki i ngā moemoeā o te iwi.
Te tikanga me whakawātea mai ngā huarahi katoa kia haere ā-ao Māori nei a wai ake ki roto i ngā whare wānanga mō te kore utu. Engari, arā nō ngā pātai kāore anō kia whakautua, ā, ka mutu kāore anō kia pātaia. Ko wai te hunga e whakariterite nei i ngā whāinga matua o te Kāwanatanga? Kei te whakarongo te Kāwanatanga ki a wai? He aha ngā momo huarahi o muri mai e mirimiri nei i te āhuatanga o te whāinga matua?
Ko tā mātou o te Pāti Māori i kī nei i mua, hiahia nō mātou ki te whakatakoto i tētahi utu whakaheke, arā, kia whakapāpaku i te utu ā te roanga o te wā. E ngana nei mātou ki te whakarahi ake i ngā huarahi katoa ki te tahua tauira nā runga i te āhuatanga o te whakatakoto i tētahi tahua tauira, arā, kia ōrite tōna taumata ki tērā o te pūtea mō te kore mahi.
He kōrero whakamutunga pea, ko tā mātou e kī nei kia ōrite te whakautu i ngā nama. Me tīmata i tērā āte wā ka whiwhi i ngā kaitono i te pūtea tahi me te hāwhe i runga ake i te utu tau toharite. Me kī, me whakawātea mai ai ko te rima tau o waenganui hei whakahoki i te moni i muri mai o te putanga i te whare wānanga ka mutu, ka noho kore utu hua moni nei. Āe, tērā kōrero. Nō reira, ehara i te mea he kino tēnei pire, kāo, he pai tonu. Arā nō ngā painga mō te hunga e tono moni nei, ka whiwhi painga. Me kī, ka whakakao mai tēnei pire i tētahi hunga o roto i tēnei kāhui, arā, o te utu hua moni kore. Engari, koi nā te pūtake, kai a wai ngā painga?
Greetings to you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and to us all, the House. As we debate matters concerning education, it is appropriate that we turn our thoughts to that scholar and expert of the Tainui canoe in this field, Tūī Adams, who passed away recently. He lies in state on his Ngāti Maniapoto marae tonight. My understanding is that farewell tributes will be made to him tonight. Tomorrow he will be interred in the bowels of mother Earth. Depart, old one. During the past years he was a staunch supporter of aspects relating to Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Oh, how the heart grieves for you, old one.
I acknowledge that loss in Ngāti Tūwharetoa with the passing of Arthur Smallman, one of its descendants. Tonight is his last night as well, and tomorrow he will be interred in the bowels of mother Earth. That is both of you. Farewell to you, the dead. Disappear from view.
So I come back once again to this bill. After all, it is about education. There is an extensive list of occupations that have an ongoing skill shortage of trained staff: doctors, teachers, electricians, plumbers, dentists, scientists, engineers, architects, horticultural specialists, and so on.
These are the occupations that were directly affected by the recent cuts to the training incentive allowance. Training incentive allowances help people to undertake employment-related training appropriate to their own situation and the demands of the labour market.
Budget decisions this year retain the training incentive allowance if one is studying under level 3— the basic foundation skills at that level. But to achieve employable skills, those that employers actually need, skills that pave the way to a well-paid job or career, the Government made the crazy decision to place an obstacle in the way. It was heartbreaking and demoralising, and right throughout the country the people have spoken of their concerns, but to no avail. The people were ignored again.
We have a proverb in Māoridom: “Talk is the food of the chief.” In essence, that means that real chiefs listen to what the people say. They take it in, contemplate it, reflect on it, and then make informed decisions. The situation in the city of Auckland is somewhat like that proverb. Strictly speaking, this Government should be saying that Minister Hide should heed the proverb about talk being food to the chief, and debate the circumstances relating to the Māori seats in Auckland.
This bill is similar, as well. The Government did not really hear the wishes of those who put submissions before them. Instead of listening, the Government went ahead and did what it wanted to do. This bill extends eligibility for interest-free student loans to borrowers living in Niue, the Cook Islands, Tokelau, and the Ross Dependency for a further 183 days. The point is that if we support people from these countries to study, they will then return to their lands, and contribute to development there. And that is all good. It also means legislation to ensure that borrowers who volunteer for overseas charitable organisations are exempt from the requirements to be home for at least 183 days. And it enables those students enrolled with a New Zealand provider but engaged in full-time study overseas to be eligible for interest-free student loans.
It does some other things along the way. It increases the repayment deductions from 10c in the dollar up to 15c, for those whose accounts are overdue. It increases the period in which a loan may be fully repaid without incurring additional interest, from 15 to 30 days. Do not get me wrong—these are all significant achievements in their own right. And they do fit well with the advocacy we have made from the Māori Party, that tertiary education is a front-end investment in the nation’s future and should be freely available to all. But questions must continue to be asked. Who is calling the shots in determining Government policy? Who does the Government listen to? What are the deals being done to influence policy?
In our policy manifesto, the Māori Party made the commitment to introduce a fee reduction policy to reduce fees to a nominal level, over time. We also sought to increase access to student allowances by introducing a universal student allowance that will be set at the level of the unemployment benefit
In conclusion, we recommended that student loan debt repayments perhaps should start only when borrowers are earning 1½ times the average wage, that there be a 5-year grace period for repayments after graduation, and that student loans remain interest-free. Yes, indeed. So, this is not a bad bill—not at all. It has its positives for those seeking loans. It brings more people into the loop of interest-free student loans. But I ask—and it is the nub—who precisely is benefiting from it.
ENDS
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