Whakatauira 1981 – Maori leaders proposals

Tu Tangata, Issue 4, 1 February 1982, Page 3

Whakatauira 1981 - Maori leaders proposals

Lindsay Hayes

The Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon, believes Maoridom has shifted into a new gear. And in October, Maori leaders proved him right.

Representing Maori council committees, Maori Women’s Welfare League branches, church workers and other Maori volunteer groups, 80 leaders and observers came to Wellington for the second national planning conference, Tu Tangata Wananga Whakatauira, run by the Maori Affairs Department.

In two days, they turned the SIO,OOO conference cost into about $3 million worth of action programmes, designed to improve Maori employment and incomes, health and education ... and save their language.

Missing were the long-winded philosphical debates and the talk of raising Maori aspirations. It was clear that the 1981 planning round was concerned only with specifics.

The Secretary of Maori Affairs, Kara Puketapu, called the results outstanding. The Minister, Ben Couch, has promised a third wananga this year.

Keeping Maori offenders out of prison and the language alive, emerged as the two most urgent targets. Both involve other Government departments Justice and Education and although representing extra funds for Maori Affairs, could save the taxpayer money.

Rehabilitation

The leaders believe, for instance, that Maoris can rehabilitate 20 Maori offenders for $66,000 (excluding the setting-up cost for the first year) saving the taxpayer around $177,000 a year, based on the outlay for keeping the same offenders in a minimum security prison.

Saving the public kitty is of course of rather less consequence to those who came up with the idea, than the future of their youngsters, but the cost calculations, are convincing enough to sell the proposal in court circles.

Most importantly, it represents a concerted bid by the Maori people to shortcut the present prison system, which as they have seen, seems to attract the same young offenders back again. They think they can do better.

The plan involves the Secretary of Maori Affairs or “a suitably constituted authority” to act as legal guardian of selected first offenders and place them under the watchful eye of Maori farming families on agricultural programmes.

Shouldering responsibility That is only part of it. Shouldering equal responsibility, will be marae associations and the joint kokiri/department community partnership teams which will provide basic work skills and vocational training courses, funded by Maori Affairs. The three-pronged ‘‘Awhinatia te Rangatahi” approach emphasises whanau help for families under stress so they can be shown how to direct their children away from crime. The focus is on young people from 11 to 18 years. The Education Department will be asked to assist with tutors in reading and basic subjects for marae courses. Likely problems, which some leaders think they might encounter with the United Nations for setting up a dual legal system, are a hurdle they will cross if and when necessary. The wananga’s failure to accept an amendment prompted by these fears demonstrated Maori faith in the Maori

ability to right the Maori crime problem. Ben Couch supports the proposal. Besides, it works he says. In his shearing contracting days, the Minister had kids on probation in his gang, which earned him the nickname of “Ali Baba”. Apparently, the ‘‘4o thieves” shaped up and proved worthy of his trust. Working parents Another way to help save taxpayers’ money is a modest plea for $85,000 a year to appoint 20 Maori-speaking supervisors to run day-care centres on maraes. Besides, supplying a facility for working Maori parents, the objective is to instil the Maori language in pre school-age children and arrest the decline of Maori speakers. Presumably if this were successful, the Education Department would not need to spend as much on Maori language courses for school children, understanding that many pakeha children also take the language option.

The amount being spent at the moment also interests the Minister: almost $7 million for 290 teachers. Wondering if the department is getting its money’s worth, Ben Couch says he will approach the education people to inquire about the result. He indicates that the Maori Affairs Department might be able to spend some if it rather better. Publicity is another area assured of the Minister’s backing when he takes the leaders’ proposals to Government. Like the leaders, he is annoyed about “negative publicity” and says the media ignores positive Maori things. He asks where television was during the conference. Media calls Proposals from the wananga’s media workshop include a call for a fullyoperational Maori radio station with national coverage, catering for all tastes and age groups and with Maori control of the programmes.

One of the most expensive recommendations is a $1.3 million bid to increase business courses and management training for tribal enterprises. Designed to elevate Maori economic standing, many leaders see this as the key to advancement on all fronts.

A pilot course for potential business entrepreneurs, which in 1980 sponsored 20 students through a nine-week marketing and leadership training course was hailed as a success. Ben Couch said at the time that the course graduates planned to gross sales of $1.5 million in their first year in their own businesses and double that figure in their second year. The Minister is now saying that he would like to follow-up those initial graduates, have a look at their books and see how they are faring. He is cautious about increasing funds until this is known.

Economic goals The leaders asked for an interim task force to report back to next year’s wananga on long-term economic goals. The targets include: • That the Maori people achieve parity in per capital income with the national average by 1985. • That Maori equity capital in the New Zealand economy be increased to 10 per cent by 1990.

• That there be a doubling of current Maori land holdings for tribal groups by the year 2000. • That 25 per cent of vocational trainees aspire to (a) selfemployment and (b) management within eight years of completing their training. • The number of Maori fishermen in the fishing industry increase by 10 per cent by 1986.

• That provision be made to ensure the training of 100 forest managers and 100 horticultural managers by 1986 (it is not known who will foot the bill for this), and, • That the numbers of trainees in agricultural be increased to 20 per year by 1984. • That there be five graduates from an agricultural university per year by 1986. • That Maori authorities create a financial institution by December this year, to enable equity to be used for Maori development. • That the Maori Affairs Department negotiate for the necessary funding for the operation of Te Wananga O Raukawa (amount not stated) and warmly support the kaupapa. • That consideration be given for the 1983 financial year to using the finance available for business lending, for the establishment of a Maori business investment fund in the private sector.

Job training Also high in the more immediate priorities is an SBOO,OOO expansion of pre-employment job opportunities for Maori school leavers. The department has already allocated $6 million for this purpose and says it will guarantee job training or placement for a third of last year’s Maori school leavers. In line with this theme is the present $190,000 nationwide rapu mahi campaign to place unemployed Maori youngsters. More money in the job training field is partly justified by the continuing low or non academic attainment of Maori pupils and their subsequent limited employment opportunities. This must be viewed with the improvements. Kara Puketapu has figures to show a two per cent a year increase in the Maori school examination rate, but he acknowledges that 65 per cent of Maori pupils still leave school unqualified. Faster progress Now for the good part. When the Tu Tangata promotion began four years

ago, the Maori non-achievement figure was 70 per cent. Given the momentum of today’s education drive, the rate of future progress is likely to be much faster. On the health side, the leaders again called upon the department to arrange the appointment of 10 community health co-ordinators to liaise with Maori communities and provide readily available health care. They want a health group set up to prepare a health status profile of Maoris, to ensure adequate ante and post-natal care for pregnant mothers, to promote breast feeding and to attend to other health matters. Ben Couch, who has acted as a midwife four times, is interested in the health objectives. He says many Maori health problems are self-inflicted. Cindrella Termed by one leader as the “Cinderalla” of the wananga is the kokiri administration launched last year. As many readers will know, kokiri places much of the decision-making for Maori Affairs in the hands of the Maori

people who have set up kokiri management emits in partnership with department officials. The fact that this innovation operates at all, notwithstanding how well it works, is of considerable interest to bureaucrats outside the department. The emits are funded by the department, but the leaders say the existing amount district is insufficient and suggest an overall national figure of SIOO,OOO. The alleged inadequacy of present marae facilities to cope with cultural and educational courses promoted a demand for increased marae subsidies. The suggested figure is an extra $300,000 for this financial year and an extra SIOO,OOO each year until at least 1985. The expanding role of the maraes and their new important in the awhinatia te rangatahi project, would seem to guarantee that this request will be met. Everything discussed by the leaders falls under the Tu Tangata umbrella which at present is assured of Government backing. Mr Muldoon, in his opening address to Tu Tangata Wananga Whakatauira said, ‘‘l believe that other New Zealanders are beginning to see now what Tu Tangata is all about that it is not another gimmick. We talk of Tu Tangata for the Maori people, but it is for the common good of all New Zealanders.” The Prime Minister noted also a more

positive and optimistic ring about Maori confidence. Both that and the shift into a new gear are obvious. The only place now to go is forward.