Speech: ComVoices Parliamentary Breakfast - Tariana Turia
te-pati-maori
Tue Mar 15 2011 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Speech: ComVoices Parliamentary Breakfast - Tariana Turia
Tuesday, 15 March 2011, 10:40 am
Speech: The Maori Party
Speech: ComVoices Parliamentary Breakfast - Hon Tariana Turia
ComVoices Parliamentary Breakfast
Grand Hall, Parliament Buildings, Wellington
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Hon Tariana Turia, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector
Tuesday 15 March 2011, 7.30am
Thank you, Kevin (Haunui) for your kind introduction.
I want to welcome:
* my colleagues, Members of Parliament; Ministers and parliamentary staff;
* Dutch Ambassador; Arie van der Wiel
* the diverse range of voices gathered here today, all of you driven by your commitment to supporting communities to support themselves.
I am delighted to host this event and in doing so, to contribute to the discussion on the rights of vulnerable groups in our society.
I want to firstly extend a most sincere welcome to our honoured guest, Boris Dittrich.
Boris comes to us as Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch - one of the world’s leading independent organisations dedicated to the protection of human rights.
During his tenure with this organisation he played a leading role in the launch of a landmark document at the United Nations on international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity.
Before that, he was a member of the Dutch national parliament for more than twelve years.
We are looking forward to his korero - recognising that in many ways he will have much in common with many of us in this room, through the dedicated effort he has made to making a difference – whether at local, national or international levels.
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We are drawn together today by the theme of vulnerable groups in our community. The timing is of course extremely significant.
All of us bear the profound sense of loss that has accompanied the recent tragic events in Christchurch – and in the last few days, throughout Japan.
Through these desperately sad times we have been reminded of the importance of community when disasters such as these strike us.
As we know, there is a whole city that needs our care and our support; as the people mourn, they cling together and then seek the reason and the means by which they can rebuild.
There has been an incredible response from locals, overseas organisations and New Zealanders as a whole. With the assistance of not-for-profit organisations and new and existing voluntary groups including marae, communities have banded to together to help one another through this vulnerable time.
In the midst of our despair, New Zealand also lost a fine historian and academic, Dame Judith Binney.
And as I came to this breakfast this morning, I couldn’t help but remember a line that came from one of her books, Redemption Songs – a life of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki.
The statement read:
Nei ka uru ahau i te ture ai mätua mo te pani mo te rawa kore
I shall join the law to make it a parent for the poor people, for the orphans, for those without
It was a statement made about the impact of Te Kooti but it is just as relevant for the work of so many of the groups here who have done so much in supporting the voices of a community to grow and strengthen.
How do we work with the law, to ensure it works just as well for the vulnerable as it does for any group?
I want to make particular mention of the difference made by the organisation, Com Voices, in the various ways you support what Te Kooti called, te pani mo te rawa kore.
From its establishment in 2005, ComVoices has been a key voice for the sector both at a community and at a government level.
Many groups, over successive generations have worked hard to overcome great challenges in enabling the voices of vulnerable communities to be heard.
Without this work, these groups might have remained on the outskirts of our society.
However, there is still much work to be done. Many groups remain disadvantaged; silenced by the noise of the majority; marginalised or forgotten – but still resilient, proud and determined to support their communities.
We need to ensure the interests of such groups are not overlooked. We must ensure vulnerable groups and communities are able to decide what outcomes they want to achieve and how to achieve these. And they must do it on their own terms; driven by their own aspirations.
Equity of access to civic participation is essential. Public engagement and consultation needs to take special consideration of these groups to ensure they are heard and actively involved in decision-making within their communities.
Supporting these groups has shaped the structure and focus of my work, as Minister for the Community and Voluntary sector, and also in my other portfolios, particularly as Minister of Disability Issues, and Minister for Whanau Ora.
Vulnerability in our communities might be characterised by poor access to services and resources. Groups might be socially, culturally, or geographically isolated. Often they are discriminated against. Sometimes all of these factors apply – what is sometimes called the double or triple whammy factor.
I am so pleased today, to see the commitment evident by such a large turnout, that there is a willingness and energy to consider how we can make changes and build community capability and resilience.
Whether it’s Disability Action; the Ideas Shop, Well Health or J R McKenzie Trust I see lots of people here who have an established commitment to community-led development.
And so I want to salute all of you for the investment you have made to community empowerment – what we might also call rangatiratanga (self-determination) and motuhaketanga (independence, autonomy).
In the approach we are promoting through Whanau Ora, the intention is to empower whānau as a whole and strengthen the ability of the whanau to help themselves. It’s all about making the difference, we know we all need to support ourselves.
And that is what this breakfast is all about - ensuring that all groups are able to develop their own strategies, creating enduring solutions to their needs.
If we want to strengthen the rights of vulnerable groups, we must ensure their voices are heard and heeded, whether it be in the formation of policy at the national or local government level, or in undertaking projects to help strengthen their communities. Only if the voices of vulnerable groups are heard, will their rights in civil society be truly strengthened and safeguarded.
Thank you again. Together, with your help, we can do so much to support the voices of all our communities to grow and strengthen.
Finally with great anticipation, I will now hand over to Boris Dittrich, Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch.
ends
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