October 09, 2018
Mana motuhake means getting off welfare
An Auckland marae manager says welfare reform needs to include a commitment to restoring the mana motuhake or self determination of Māori whānau.
Tony Kake from Papakura Marae attended yesterday's consultation hui of the expert advisory panel on welfare, and says radical change is possible.
He says 27 percent of beneficiaries are Māori despite Māori making up only 15 percent of population means an unacceptably high level of whanau Māori are dependent on the state.
"Māori don't want to go down to the WINZ office. No one wins at WINZ. So this whole reliance on the welfare system isn't the answer. A pathway to mana motuhake might mean they are on some term of support but not a long term goal. We want to engage Māori in the whole design of a new welfare system and engage Māori in the delivery," Mr Kake says.
He says government agencies will need to learn to trust Māori to deliver policy if there is to be a true treaty partnership.
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