Labour’s Māori spokesperson says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka is falling on the job by allowing his cabinet colleagues to slash Māori programmes.
Spending on Vote Māori went down 22 percent in the Budget, after an extra bump last year for Whānau Ora and to cover increased costs, and there have been cuts in other agencies such as the $30 million being diverted away from teaching teachers to use te reo Māori in the classroom.
Former minister Willie Jackson says Mr Potaka’s performance is disastrous, and he should be standing up for te reo Māori and Māori broadcasting.
“You don’t want to be cutting us because we’re in such catch-up mode. You’re not comparing apples with apples, whether it’s Māori broadcasting, Māori housing, Māori health, we must be looked at differently because we are in catch-up mode so we should not be seen in the same light as other initiatives and other mainstream kaupapa,” he says.
