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Leader's LetterMarch 2006
MAORI AFFAIRS, FISHERIES, HOUSING AND BROADCASTINGThis term I have retained my portfolios of Maori Affairs and Fisheries, and also added Housing and Broadcasting. You will see from this brief outline of some of the current issues in these portfolios that there’s a lot to get stuck in to, and I’m looking forward to ensuring that the interests of New Zealanders are well represented in my areas over the next three years. Maori Affairs intersects with most other portfolios, and lately I have been focussing on the fact that although New Zealand’s unemployment rate is low at 2.5 percent, the rate for Maori is 7.6 percent, according to the latest employment figures. This is a real concern, and I have urged the Government to encourage the unemployed into the Modern Apprenticeships programme, and to implement more programmes designed to train people in the skills that employers are looking for. New Zealand prides itself on its level playing field, but statistics such as these show that we still have some way to go before we can claim that. Problems facing the fishing industry include the ever-increasing problem of poaching, and the sustainability of the fisheries resource. It’s time we realised that although mighty oceans surround us, the resources within those oceans are not limitless. Some countries have completely depleted theirs, and we certainly don’t want to be in that position in a decade or less. Sea life is vulnerable, not only to over-fishing but also to the impacts of exploitation in the form of pollution, oil exploration and mineral mining. Oceans have for too long been used as dumping grounds with no thought for the life that inhabits them. As a consequence, many species are either extinct or endangered. Effective policing and tougher sentences are essential if we are to deter poachers, and the Quota Management System needs constant monitoring and revision to ensure sustainability. The recent announcement that areas of our Exclusive Economic Zone will be closed to bottom trawling shows that both the fishing industry and the Government are taking this issue seriously, and New Zealand First supports this initiative. The Kiwi dream of home ownership is fading fast, and this is of real concern to New Zealand First. We have long warned of the implications of the decline in housing affordability to our long established and much cherished vision of ourselves as a nation of home owners, and we don’t want to see hardworking New Zealanders being denied their dream of home ownership through no fault of their own. The Government has an important role to play to ensure that this doesn’t happen, and we would like to see this alarming trend arrested by limiting foreign ownership of New Zealand assets and land, and by developing policies, such as rent-to-buy schemes, which will help ordinary New Zealanders to achieve their dreams. We believe that private home ownership provides an underlying social stability which is vital to the continuation of the New Zealand way of life. TVNZ has been in the news for all the wrong reasons during the last six months, and it’s becoming increasingly evident that its twin obligations of fulfilling the charter requirements and returning a profit are totally incompatible, and put it at a severe disadvantage when competing with other commercial channels. New Zealand First supports recent calls for TVNZ to model itself along public broadcasting lines, having long been concerned that our television reflects American society more than our own. It needs to be recognised that a modern democracy such as New Zealand needs to be served by a publicly owned and operated television and radio network that reflects our unique qualities The drive for advertising revenue can be fulfilled by TV2. TV One should be combined with Radio New Zealand and modelled on similar public broadcasting systems overseas. This is a logical and achievable solution to the problems that are plaguing TVNZ. Pita Paraone MP We can do much more and New Zealand First will play a constructive role in this process in the coming year. As your spokesperson I intend to visit relevant research institutions, field days, and private facilities extensively to a degree I was hitherto unable to contemplate. And I am looking forward to this with eager anticipation. Many of you will be aware that as MPs we do not necessarily serve on the select committee of our choice, as these positions are allocated. For this term I have been given the honour of serving on the Finance and Expenditure committee after having spent a good number of years on Primary Production. This exciting new challenge opens up many more opportunities to speak in Parliament and fits in well with my Primary Production portfolio. New Zealanders have overspent on imported goods. One way to balance the ledger is to export more and attain higher prices and we should take every opportunity to expedite that. The agreement we negotiated to make 2007 an export year is one small indicator of our resolve. Doug Woolerton MP
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