Pacific Jobs Fono

Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs

103-104 The Terrace

Wellington

9.30am, Thursday 19 February, 2009

E nga rangatira o te motu, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa

It is my pleasure to be here today, although I wish that the events prompting this fono were more positive ones. However we are here to consider how best to minimise the effects of the global economic turmoil for Pacific people. I know you will make the most of your time together.

I'm grateful that each one of you has signalled, by your attendance here today at very short notice, your commitment to improving the lives of Pacific people in Aotearoa.

The Government wants to hear your views. Like Maori, Pacific people are good talkers. We both like to debate issues face-to-face. I'm relying on you to bring your inimitable Pacific passion and enthusiasm to the debate today. 

I expect your unique insight into Pacific communities and families will present us with possibilities for some innovative solutions to the global issues facing us.

I'll take your ideas and solutions ‘upstairs' and ensure they are debated within Government and at the jobs summit in Auckland later this month.

Last week I was privileged to meet many Pacific community leaders and others in Auckland. As a result, I bring to today's gathering a stronger sense of who you are, and an even stronger determination to work with your communities to lift their aspirations.

There is a proverb which says:

He aha te mea nui o te ao, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata. What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.

The Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs has as its vision "Successful Pacific peoples."

And it's probably timely to remind ourselves that over the last two decades, we've seen many successes in Pacific communities. There are more Pacific people in the professions, in business, more graduates coming through, more students leaving school with qualifications, more children participating in early childhood education. In the creative and sporting sectors. in particular, the Pacific presence is outstanding.

However, we know that Pacific people along with others were particularly hard-hit by the economic restructuring of the 1980s. They say that those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The National Government intends to make every effort to ensure that Pacific people are not disproportionately affected this time.

The Government has already outlined two packages to assist: the first designed to help small to medium-size businesses by addressing tax issues and regulatory constraints and requiring prompt payment from Government agencies dealing with private businesses . The second, last week, focussed on investment in infrastructure.

There is more to follow, including the April round of tax cuts, the Prime Minister's jobs summit at the end of the month and regional summits to follow.

While some countries' responses have been described as king hits, ours is being termed a rolling maul - an analogy I know at least two of you will understand very clearly.

I am still awaiting advice on the extent to which the measures we have taken so far will benefit Pacific people, but I believe that the infrastructure investment offers significant opportunities.

Building new schools and new roads and new houses requires people who are willing and able to work in jobs which require attitude and strength. The increasingly visible successes of Pacific people in New Zealand suggest you have these qualities in spades.

Pacific people make up 7.2% (302,000) of the New Zealand population according to the last census in 2006. That proportion is expected to increase to 9.8% in 2026. Pacific people will also make up an increasing proportion of the workforce estimated to be about 12% in 2026.

Right now we know that there are already more Pacific people unemployed: the figure has risen from 5.2 per cent at the end of 2007 to 7.8 per cent at the end of December 2008. [1] That's nearly one in 12 working age people. Worryingly, but perhaps predictably, that is already higher than the rate for the general population which stands at 4.6 percent and is likely, according to Treasury forecasts, to peak at 7.5 percent in June 2010.

We know that the hardest-hit are unskilled workers and young people in our cities, especially those in Auckland. We don't want to risk our young people, our future, becoming used to unemployment, becoming accustomed to life on the dole and losing the impetus to do better.

We want and need them to aspire to work and, preferably, to higher paying skilled work. If the immediate future for them is unemployment, then let's see what we can do in this time to give them the education and training so that when the upturn comes they have the skills and the self-belief to do well. I would like to hear your solutions.

We know that nearly one in three Pacific workers is in a service-related industry - many of them in wholesale and retail trade. We see them when we checkout our groceries. Those of you who run early in the morning will have seen them climbing into vans and cars outside large office buildings as their cleaning shift finishes. If you have a relative in a rest home, or needing home-based care, it's highly likely that he or she will get at least some of their care from a Pacific person.

However the biggest single industry for Pacific people is manufacturing, where nearly one in four work. Already we have seen jobs go in this sector with some large companies making decisions to move offshore. We can anticipate that decreased demand, and higher costs to import plant and machinery will see more jobs go.

The gloomy economic outlook means that our contribution must be positive and achievable, yet aspirational.

You are here because of your expertise and experience. I am also aware that the mere fact that you are here sends a strong signal about the power of working together for a common good, a common vision.

I am hopeful that you will come up with concrete suggestions which will assist our Government to preserve jobs and create new opportunities for individuals, families and communities. 

Improving the educational outcomes for young Pacific people and lifting the living standards of Pacific families would be a good start.

I wish you well

Kia kaha, kia maia kia manawanui

(Be strong, be steadfast and hold tight to your aims)

[1] NZ Household Labour Force Survey February 2009