PETERS URGES MAORI COUNCIL TO HELP BREAK WELFARE DEPENDENCY

Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Winston Peters has urged the Maori Council to help break the cycle of welfare dependency among Maori.

In a speech to the executive members of the council, Mr Peters said "the idea that the welfare system is somehow good for Maori is simply belied by the facts - it is belied by the number of Maori who have lost hope, who no longer try for a job, or dream of a higher education."

Mr Peters said continued welfare dependency was trapping Maori in a cycle of poverty and despair, destroying the dreams of their children and future generations.

The Code of Social Responsibility would help to break that cycle, he said.

"The Code is about families with limited incomes aspiring for the same things for their children that parents do regardless of race and socio-economic status.

"And the Maori Council has an important role in reinforcing the message that Maori people can achieve more."

Mr Peters said Maori were once a proud people who once had a history of doing things for themselves.

"We need to instil in young Maori that they can compete with the best of the best, that they can be future leaders of in all walks of life," he said.