May 27, 2014
Council spending benefits Maori says Mayor Brown
Auckland mayor Len Brown is defending the amount his council is spending on Maori.
An audit prepared for the Independent Maori Statutory Board found the council spent less than $1 million of the $5 million it budgeted in the 2013 financial year for projects with Maori outcomes.
Mr Brown says where the council is spending its money is often on areas that benefit Maori, such as improving public transport in south and west Auckland, promoting jobs in areas like tourism, food and beverage and the marine sector, and creating cadetships to bring young people into the workforce.
"The very direct nature of the spend that has been asked for, for example marae development, that’s not as large as it could be, but the general spend I would suggest very strongly supports the outcomes, particularly for young Maori rangatahi. We are very strongly focused on youth employment and the high level of unemployment among young Maori and young Pasifika," he says.
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