Education is the key to unlocking our potential

Speech notes, Arowhenua Marae, Temuka

Education is the key to unlocking our potential.

It is a tool that we can use to gain better knowledge about the world around us and to equip ourselves with skills that will enable to us to obtain the jobs we seek.

Education and teaching have always been a driving force throughout my life.

I attended Palmerston North Teacher's College and later Massey University where I was a foundation student in the Sociology faculty.

I taught at Ratana Primary School for three years, then over the following twelve years at Queen Elizabeth College, Palmerston North and Kelston Boys College, Rutherford High School and Henderson High School in Auckland.

Over the next six years, I played a key role in Maori education throughout Taranaki, assisting with the establishment of private training providers, the Quest Rapuara career service and adult education.

From my own experience I have come to understand that our rangatahi need to be given opportunities, different avenues to follow in life.

By providing them with various educational pathways we enable to open their eyes to a world they may have never seen nor thought before.

I have always believed that for Maori to truly succeed as Maori, for us to determine our own destiny, we must indulge ourselves in learning.

The Labour-led Government understands the need to provide Maori with a variety of options within their pursuit of higher education.

What we have done is opened up numerous doors of opportunity by providing Maori with more options.

Maori have responded by not just walking through those doors of opportunity, instead we are running through them.

Modern Apprenticeships are a new work based education initiative for young people that combine the best of the apprenticeship tradition with a creative twist.

They are designed to give young people not just a job, but access to quality workplace learning that offers them the start of a new career.

31 industries are involved in this scheme giving rangatahi the choice to train in areas ranging from tourism to horticulture and even plumbing.

Industry training is another initiative that Maori are taking advantage of.

Industry Training is designed to give New Zealand's workforce the skills and knowledge needed for our industry to gain a competitive edge.

Industry Training concentrates on workplace learning that raises skills and boosts competitive advantage for business.

Workplace learning can be on-job, off-job by a registered training provider, or a combination of both.

There are 41 Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) around the country, established by particular industries or groups of industries.

There are now over 1,000 Maori Modern Apprentices and 21,500 industry trainees.

While Maori are 10% of the workforce they are 17% of industry trainees, and 15% of Modern Apprentices.

These are programs that work for Maori.

In September we released the Skills package that provides extra funding to both the Modern Apprenticeship and Industry training schemesThis package means there will be another 850 Maori trainees in 2005 and an extra 150 Maori Modern Apprentices.

In Southland alone there are 10,613 youths involved in industry training.

These young people have taken it upon their own shoulders to ensure that they have the skills and the knowledge to unlock endless employment opportunities that may arise in the future.

Our thirst for education and need for growth is reflected in our participation in the education sector.

We are learning and moving forward.

Maori finally understand that they sky is the limit and that education is the tool that will keep pushing them upwards.