Mana | Movement of the People

Mana in Parliament – April 2014

Government Bills:
The government passed a number of bills into law this month, including the:

· Social Security (Fraud Measures and Debt Recovery) Amendment Bill – the bill enables MSD to criminalise and prosecute the partners of those committing benefit fraud, and greatly increases MSD’s surveillance and debt recovery powers. MANA opposed the bill at all stages because MSD already has extensive powers to investigate and recover benefit debt, making the bill pointless and yet another politically motivated attack on beneficiaries. The Human Rights Commission and the NZ Law Society also raised concerns about the bill noting that it permits MSD to disregard New Zealand’s international human rights obligations and “goes too far”.

· Industry Training and Apprenticeships Amendment Bill – the bill revamps industry training and the apprenticeships system in line with the government’s recent review. MANA supported it at first reading to enable the public to have a say at select committee, but opposed at all subsequent stages given that submitters told us the negative aspects outweighed the positive. They said that opening up the industry training fund to organisations other than ITOs would lead to the privatisation of industry training, undermining the efforts of ITOs to collectively improve the training they offer; and that removing the skills leadership function from ITOs would mean that no effective leadership would actually be taken.

· Treaty Settlement Bills – Maungaharuru-Tangitu Hapū Claims Settlement Bill, Ngā Punawai o Te Tokotoru Claims Settlement Bill in the first week of April, and the Te Tau Ihu Claims Settlement Bill which incorporated the Haka Ka Mate Attribution Bill in the second week of April. All of these bills were heard during ‘extended hours’ as the government moves full steam ahead to settle all Treaty claims by 2017 in the hope of settling the Treaty in its entirety and once again rendering it ‘null and void’. MANA policy is to abandon the 2017 deadline and instead have the Crown commit to resolving claims fairly and justly.

Other government bills up in April included the:

· Vulnerable Children Bill – second reading and committee stage: Again MANA supported the bill to select committee to hear public submissions, but opposed at second reading and committee stage due to the fact it will do nothing to protect children who are vulnerable as a result of poverty and homelessness. The government continues to refuse to acknowledge and address these significant factors. Further to this, while the government dropped the problematic child harm prevention orders from the bill, it still contains too many other counter clauses like increased powers to remove children but without support for the protective parent or without acknowledging changed circumstances. The bill will be up for third reading in May.

· Veterans Support Bill – second reading: MANA continued to support this bill while acknowledging that it needs to go further and enable all veterans with ‘a positive disablement rating’ to qualify for a veterans’ pension in place of NZ Super when reaching 65 years. At present, veterans have to have a whopping 70% rating to qualify.

· Credit Contracts and Financial Services Law Reform Bill – second reading: MANA continued to support this bill while also acknowledging that it needs to go much further and properly regulate the sector and shut-down loan shark operations such as by setting interest-rate caps.

Members Bills:
A Members day was held on Wednesday 9 April and a local and private bill were passed into law:

· Tasman District Council (Validation and Recovery of Certain Rates) Bill – which MANA continued to oppose on principle; and the
Sullivan Birth Registration Bill – to enable the birth mother and the adopted mother of Rowan Sullivan to be jointly listed on her birth certificate, which MANA continued to support.

Feed the Kids Members Bill – update:

· When will the bill be up for first reading? The bill has moved down the agenda (‘order paper’) as a large number of Members bills have been reported back from select committee for second reading – and second readings take precedence over first readings on Members days. At this stage we’re anticipating it will come up in late May/mid-June.

· Is it likely to have the votes to pass at first reading? We need 61 votes and we currently have 60! Hone is continuing to meet with National Party MPs to try to get it passed but National is holding to the line that the KickStart breakfast programme they partially fund is enough. Our analysis shows it feeds about 12,000 of the 100,000 children estimated to go hungry each school day – so it’s not enough at all. We’re still hoping someone in National is able to do the maths and agree to support the bill.

· What else has been done to build support? Hone has continued to promote the bill and recently hosted two events at Parliament (see the MANA website, www.mana.org.nz, for speeches and media statements and www.feedthekids.org.nz for news stories and photos):

o The first was a morning tea to thank the 30+ organisations who’ve supported the bill as part of the Community Coalition for Food in Schools, and helped make it the major policy news story of 2013. Many thanks to the guest speakers, Deborah Morris-Travers (Unicef), Kiri Smith (NZEI), Angela Roberts (PPTA), Lisa Beech (Caritas NZ), Major Pam Waugh (Salvation Army), Rawiri Wright (Ngā Runanganui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa), and Katherine Rich (Food and Grocery Council).

o The second was a lunch event with 50+ senior students of Naenae College who help run the school’s breakfast club. The students fielded questions with the media, went on a tour of Parliament, and attended question time to watch Hone challenge the government to do more to support the 100,000 students who go to school hungry each day.

· What can I do to help? Continue to lobby your local MP, and especially if they’re John Banks, Peter Dunne, or a National MP! See www.feedthekids.org.nz for info and further suggestions.

Te Reo Rangatira, Te Reo Māori:

· Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust: Hone has continued to call for a new board to be voted in to help address ongoing issues and concerns and help rebuild whanau confidence in kōhanga reo.

· New agency on the cards for te reo Māori: Minister of Māori Affairs, Hon Pita Sharples, is planning to create a new te reo Māori agency to replace Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori and Te Māngai Paho as his legacy before retiring from Parliament later in the year. Hone and Annette released a joint media statement amidst huge concerns the plan would see te reo Māori under the control of the Crown (and a few Crown-friendly iwi leaders) and away from whanau, hapū , and marae. See the MANA website for a copy of their statement.

Legal High Ban:

The big excitement in the last week of April was the announcement of the ban on the sale of legal highs with a law change to back it up. While the jury is still out on whether the law change will stitch up all the loopholes in the Psychoactive Substances Act, it was an extremely welcome move by those who’ve been campaigning to rid their communities of harmful and addictive legal highs – many of them MANA members and supporters, including a mighty effort from Te Hamua and the MANA Tūranga crew – and who marched, picketed, protested, collected thousands of petition signatures, and generally harangued and harassed local shop owners and the government into an about turn. It shows how powerful the voice of ordinary families and communities can be when united on a common kaupapa. See the MANA website for a copy of Te Hamua’s media statement following the bans announcement.

MANA policy work:
Following the year-long policy review process, each of the 15 MANA policies were revamped and amended and put before the AGM for discussion and approval. Following a lengthy and robust policy session, a few additional changes are required to most policies and then they’ll be loaded up on the MANA website. The plan is to have this done and dusted in the next week (sorry for the delay but I just found all my notes, argghhh, so relieved!). Many thanks to all those involved, and particularly John Minto for leading the process. Further policy work is continuing, including on the development of a lands policy, water policy, and Pacific Peoples policy.