May 27, 2016
Party celebration at Budget cash
Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell says he has 160 million reasons for backing the National-led Government.
He told a post-Budget breakfast in Auckland that’s the number of dollars he managed to secure for his Maori Development portfolio in this year’s carve-up of government spending.
He says it’s not enough to tackle the wider issue of poverty affecting many Maori whanau, but it is enough to make contributions in the areas of whare, whenua, whanau and whakapapa.
"We can’t solve all the problems of the world, we will stick with the stuff we can make a difference in – land issues, language revival, looking after the housing which has a direct relationship with health and poverty, and whanau ora, which is about helping those families that need a hand and allowing them to reach their potential. We think we've done the best we can under this scenario, but there’s more to come," Mr Flavell says.
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