April 29, 2019
Māori Council ups fight for fair deal
MATTHEW TUKAKI INTERVIEW CLICK HERE
The New Zealand Māori Council has set itself an ambitious programme including action on water, housing, health, poverty, environment and justice.
Auckland District Māori Council chair Matthew Tukaki says a hui of regional chairs in Wellington over the weekend showed a new sense of purpose as the organisation moves past the struggles over leadership of recent years.
He says low wage growth and high housing costs mean Māori are falling further behind on every social and economic level.
The crown seems be ignoring the problems it is created through its funding policies across a range of sectors.
"So just because a Māori nurse may work for a Māori health provider doesn't mean to say they should be paid less. And that comes down to a matter of funding. Government needs to stop saying 'Your treaty settlement, this is what you have got the money for.' No it's not. That treaty settlement is ours to do what we want with. You should be providing the funding for essential services, just like you are to other New Zealanders," Mr Tukaki says.
The New Zealand Māori Council has set up a subcommittee to develop positions on government policy and legislation, because a Māori perspective doesn’t seem to be coming for the public service.
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