May 25, 2017
Maori policies get share of surplus
Maori tourism, housing, regional development, te reo Maori initiatives and the new Maori Land Service all get a boost in the Budget.
Finance Minister Steven Joyce painted his first Budget as delivering for New Zealanders who have made sacrifices under the past eight years.
Treasury predicts the surplus for the 2017/18 year will be $2.9 billion, rising to $7.2 billion by 2020/21.
There will be $10 million over the next four years to help New Zealand Maori Tourism – Te Tapoi Ararau to extend existing support programmes for Maori tourism operators
There are also funds to showcase Maori historical tour trails in East Coast/Bay of Plenty, and $2 million of existing funding will be reallocated to He Kai Kei Aku Ringa, the Crown-Maori economic growth partnership to help grow Maori enterprises in the regions.
There's a $21 million boost for Maori language and culture, including $10 million over four years for Te Mangai paho – the first substantive increase the Maori broadcast funding agency has had in more than a decade.
The new Maori language agency Te Matawai gets $3 million in new money over the next two years, and the same for the Maori language commission, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori.
There's $5 million over three years to lift whanau participation in kohanga reo.
Setting up the Maori Land Service is expected to cost $31 million.
Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell says the service will usher in a new era for Maori landowners getting the support and advice they need.
It will hold the Maori Land Registry, provide dispute and mediation services, support owner decision-making by providing governance and training, as well as providing Maori land owners with advice and support on development options.
Most of the money was in last year's Budget, but Mr Flavell says there is another $2 million to educate landowners about the new Te Ture Whenua Maori Bill.
A new programme Te Ara Mauwhare – Pathways to Home Ownership has been allocated $9 million over three years in response to declining home ownership rates among Maori.
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