Waitangi Day is a chance to reflect
The political year started with the annual pilgrimage to Ratana and then on to Waitangi.
Core to each of those national events is the Treaty of Waitangi - the founding document of our nation. That same document in 1840 guaranteed to Maori (and subsequently all New Zealanders) the same rights as their British counterparts.
Fast forward to 2017 and we are experiencing a very different economic landscape that has left several people out of the prosperity and opportunity they had been promised in a global market.
New Zealand cannot compete with countries where low cost labour to manufacture goods outstrips our own ability. More so where we continue to export raw materials overseas only to import a ‘developed’ value added product.
We need a gear change to lift up our innovation and knowledge creation potential across all industry sectors but especially primary produce, forestry, fisheries and the food sector.
We have a country second to none when it comes to quality of life measures yet the comparative hardship felt by increasingly more Kiwis is evidenced by low home ownership amongst modest income earners and significantly more young people, Maori and Pasifika communities.
Our ability to retain our young people in the education, skills training and knowledge pipeline is a significant and urgent challenge. Our young minds are our greatest strategic asset - they cannot be left to flounder. I was delighted when the Green Party joined the ambition to ensure Maori Language is elevated in our education system which they have challenged should be compulsory.
In 2014, Labour made a commitment to ensuring te reo Maori would be a core subject and that we could take solid steps to all children learning te reo Maori at Primary School level. Sure we need to invest in more Maori language teachers but that’s a challenge we can rise up to if we are serious about the benefits of learning another language.
Research has shown the positive cognitive benefits of learning languages and at a time when the knowledge economy is driven by creative thinkers across all subject areas, culture and language will only enhance the NZinc. effort.
The Southern Initiative are using culture as a means to connect to the latent potential that exists in South Auckland. I am looking forward to the innovations being promoted to drive new economic opportunities as the city continues to grow.
I hope Waitangi Day has given you cause to reflect on the opportunities for our country when we embrace our history, language and identity.