Ou te fa’atulou atu i le paia lasi lasi i afioga tamali’i, tama’itai ma sa’o ao o le fa’apotopotoga aoao tama’ita’i Pasifika.

Malo e lelei. Fakalofa lahi atu. Taloha ni. Ni sa bula vinaka. Mauri. Kia Orana. Talofa lava, Gude tru olgeta. Warm Pacific greetings to you all.

Greetings to my colleague, the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Hon Lianne Dalziel and a warm welcome to Dr 'Ana Hau'alofa'ia Koloto; Caren Rangi; Church Ministers; and family members and other guests.

We all know that Pacific women do not live as individuals. We live in partnerships, families and communities. We know that the community, our culture and the church are central to our lives as Pacific women.

“Cultures and communities are building blocks towards nationhood”.

We know these things intuitively – in our bones.

So it is a great pleasure to address you tonight, at the launch of the ‘Pacific Women’s Economic Well-being Report’ that confirms, and provides hard evidence to support, those things that we know about ourselves as women of the Pacific but often cannot articulate.

This report reveals a number of connected themes, including how the role of the family, the church and the community are central in the lives of Pacific women, and how these significantly influence decisions made in relation to work and other activities.

Congratulations to the researchers and writers of the ‘Pacific Women’s Economic Well-being Report’.

This report has highlighted the importance of making sure that programmes are inclusive of Pacific families. It has also raised a number of issues that we are working to address across a range of Government departments.

The Government's vision is for Pacific women to develop a clear economic approach to transform our economic well-being into deliverable actions, which will benefit our families, our communities and New Zealand as a whole.

I am committed to sustainable economic development for Pacific women.

I came into Parliament in 1999 because I have a permanent interest in advancing the most disadvantaged groups in New Zealand.

Pacific Island women were amongst the most marginalised and lowest-paid workers, but they are now on the move.

I am personally committed to moving Pacific women from the margins to the centre.

I want Pacific women to participate in the workforce in sustainable and well-paid jobs. I want Pacific women to set up and run their own businesses.

A number of Pacific women have risen to the top level in sectors such as education, the arts, sport and public service, but many of our sisters are still struggling.

We need to get Pacific women into the key decision making positions – into jobs where their talents and skills are recognised.

It is socially, economically and culturally important for our Pacific women to be represented in all parts of New Zealand’s workforce.

Those of us who are succeeding in the economic system need to look to our mothers, our sisters and our aunties, and ensure that they are lifted up with us. We have a responsibility to ensure that we all rise up together, and none of our sisters are left behind.

Earlier this month, I was delighted to see that the number of Pacific people on the Unemployment Benefit decreased 18 per cent over the year to December 2005. These figures are encouraging, as we’re seeing definite results from the Government’s focus on helping people off benefits and into work.

Participating in the workforce not only contributes to our economy, but it also helps strengthen our families. When people have jobs, they have more time to put into their local community, and they add to the social capital of the nation.

We want all our communities and families, young and old, to enjoy more opportunity and security, and to share in the progress our country makes.

We want to build pride in the unique national identity of New Zealanders, and to celebrate the achievements and successes of our people past and present. They not only bring great credit to our country – they continue to inspire us today to reach higher, to look beyond what we think is possible and to make it happen.

'Women in the workforce' is a key part of the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs' 'Pacific Economic Action Plan'. This plan builds on last November's 'Pacific Prosperity Conference' and pulls together the voices of Government, business, community and young people.

I am working closely with the Ministry to move Pacific women into sustainable, well-paid jobs. In order to achieve this, we need collaborative partnerships between Government, business and communities.

We need to work together.

I am keen to work with a key group of Pacific women, who represent all of the key stakeholders, to develop an economic development action plan for women within the broader 'Pacific Economic Action Plan'.

I am proud and honoured to share this occasion with you all tonight.

Pacific women are natural leaders and we are strong - we gain our strength from our history, culture, tradition and families. The research report we are launching tonight weaves all of these strands together.

We need to continue to work together to transform our energies and strengths into workable economic outcomes for Pacific women, which will benefit all New Zealanders.

Our challenge is to facilitate a process, driven by Pacific women, to meet the needs of our diverse group. This is what I am passionate about and why I am a Member of Parliament.

Finally, let me read you a poem entitled ''Women of the Pacific'.

We, the women of the Pacific are strong.
We gain our strength from our ancestors, our sisters,
our extended families and our places of belonging.

We do not stand alone.
We gain our strength from our cultures,
our Pacific Island languages,
our stories, our art and our traditions.
They shape our past, our present and our future.

We also gain our strength from the sacred waters of the Pacific.
The ocean birthed us and our many islands,
she sustains and connects us together.

We the women of the Pacific are strong.
One people, our family, the Pacific.

Ia manuia lava. Soifua.