Young Maori Making a Difference

Whanganui

E te Tumuaki, e Druis tena koe
E te roopu wahine Maori Toko I te ora, tena koutou katoa
Tenei hoki te mihi atu ki nga tangata katoa hua huihui mai nei.

Tenei te mihi atu ki te Roopu wahine Maori mo te koutou powhiri mai ki ahau kia tu ake ki te korero.

Thank you for the invitation to speak to you at your national conference. It is indeed an honour to be invited to give the keynote address to your conference.

Your President asked me to set the trend for your busy five day schedule. I will try to do that, but given that you are experts in your field, far be it from me or Government to try and direct your work. However, I would like to talk about our young people, our rangatahi, and what role we can all play to improve their lot in our whanau, communities and at government level.

In the past six months I've spent a lot of time talking to young people, but also the youth workers, teachers, parents, health professionals and community workers who have dedicated their lives to working with young people.

Those people have impressed me with the vision and commitment they have. As I've tried to reason and rationalise some of what I've seen and heard, there have been moments when the sense of frustration amongst youth workers and particularly Maori has been tangible. It has brought tears to my eyes.

It's a frustration borne out of knowing with every cell in your body that this nation has not made enough of a commitment to its future. That future is young people.

My vision is that Aotearoa will be safe healthy and enterprising. We will only achieve that if we have a strong population of safe, healthy and enterprising young people.

One of the biggest challenges at all levels of decision making is the inclusion of young people. Whether it's within youth organisations, schools, local councils or government, young people have always got something to contribute. They are incredibly perceptive and when it comes to resolving their problems, they are the experts.

The definition of youth that applies in the case of the Ministry of Youth Affairs is the age group 12 - 25. It is the definition used by the World Health Organisation. Being a youth is about making the transition into adulthood.

It's a transition that's not always easy; education , employment, health, drugs, alcohol, sexuality, relationships, communication, a sense of self, reservations about where we fit in the scheme of things, rights and responsibilites.

It all adds up to quite a cocktail.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs provides policy advice on young people to enable all of the various policy issues that impact upon young people to be taken into account.

It's mission statement is about facilitating the participation of young people in their communities.

One of the excellent things Youth Affairs does is the administration of grants for the Conservation and Youth Service Corps programmes.

80% of the people that participate in these 20 week courses go into further training or employment. That makes them the most successful government sponsored programmes. And the key to their success is the partenrship approach: Iwi organisations or other community groups and government working together.

The Budget has made provision for extending this programme into prisons. Some of the 600 17 - 20 year olds in prison will have the chance to learn some new things and look forward to their futures.

All too often the perception of young people in this country is negative. That is perpetuated by the media portrayal of drunken young criminals.

I see it as my job to be brave enough to acknowledge the many issues that exist for young people, while also challenging the persistent negative images.

There are real dangers inherent in labelling young people as one group. They are incredibly diverse. And, relegating young people to a negative stereotype has the effect of making older New Zealanders feel intimidated by young people.

This is sad because young people need their kuia and koroua to be part of their lives. If we bridge the gap between the generations and keep talking, we will learn from each other.

Young people are aware that adults in the community are taking risks in the same way young people are characterised as doing. So it's important that we all work to change some of our behaviour. You may have seen the new advertisements by the Children, Young Persons and their Families Service, "If you want your kids to behave, behave yourself". They demonstrate the important link between parental example and a child's behaviour. That is the concept of role models and learning by example.

This was an issue that arose in the recent Youth Parliament when a couple of Youth MPs made mention of the importance of role models, mentors and a sense of community.

These are just some activities that all of us can work together on. It's a concept called Urban Peace that will ensure our homes and streets are safe because each of us is allowed to have dreams and the opportunities to see them become a reality.

Increasingly Maori are leading the way.

The education sector is witnessing higher levels of attainment among Maori young people. Those young people are better placed to secure employment and to participate with confidence in both Maori and Pakeha worlds.

In the tertiary level there has also been an increase in the number of Maori enrolling at University, polytechnics, colleges of education and in training opportunity programmes.

The contribution Kohanga reo and Kura Kaupapa make to the confidence and sense of belonging of children can't go unmentioned. They provide a solid foundation for education and future success.

One programme I heard of recently really impressed me. Rikihana Samuel and Mike Ross are two Hutt Valley based youth workers who have set out to work with Maori teenagers.

They work with youth at risk and have been successful in breaking the cycle.

Both of these guys got into trouble themselves as teenagers, but reconnecting with Maori culture and language helped to prevent their slide.

Their programme takes young people to the bush or marae where they can't go crawling home and watch a video.

In participating in programmes such as this one young people get a chance to learn about themselves, their limits, their strengths and weaknesses, about opportunities, team work, leadership, confidence, communication and support.

They equip themselves with knowledge, life skills, work experience and a positive outlook on life.

Rick and Mike build the young people up again, let them rebuild their dreams, and assist them in having a stake in society. Their way of doing this is by helping them identify the Maori image, allowing the young people to see that there is something they can achieve, something that they can do.

Crucial to any youth development programme is that it provides access to information, access to trustworthy confidants, and that it helps establish a sense of belonging.

Policies which marginalise Maori youth will inevitably disadvantage everyone. So we have to tap into the strong vitality which is emerging among Maori youth to build a better future for our young people.

Some of that vitality is certainly obvious in the Minister of Maori Affairs, Hon Tau Henare!

Teh Budget delivered by the Coalition Government makes provision for some important initiatives. These include establishing a new consultative council to advocate for women that will draw on existing networks. As all of you are a pivotal part of Maori and women's networks I'm sure you will have a role to play here.

There will also be funding available for the development of Maori health providers; for your parenting programme E Tipu e Rea; for four new Maori Commissions; wraparound services for teenagers in south Auckland; additional drug education; Police Youth Aid Officers such as Nick Tuastasi and Tania Eden; free health care for tamariki under 6; a coordinated Maori education strategy; funding boosts for the supply of Maori teachers; plus the 1000 classrooms and other things you will have heard about.

Young people must have access to the range of resources which form part of their inheritance and to participate fully in the social, economic and political life of the nation. In addition they must be free to enjoy the benefits and obligations of a whanau, to share the culture of their own people, and to remain Maori.

Your organisation has worked well to ensure that our young people are safe and healthy, and with the development of your junior branches you have involved them in your decision making structures too.

For the last 45 years the Maori Women's Welfare League has been at the forefront of efforts to improve the health, economic status and education of Maori.

Your President Druis has made it clear that she wants to get back to basics. Caring for the whanau, which in her words means, "empowering the regions".

I think Government has to get back to basics too: government agencies talking to each other; working with local government and the community; and listening to young people and those who know what's going on.

And that's how I see my job because we'll only deliver for young people if we are all working together. I wish you all the best for your conference as you contemplate "Whakapuputia te Kakaho e kore e whati" while you plan for the coming year and thank you for the opportunity of being here today.

I invite you to contact me about any issues you wish to bring to my attention and I welcome your perspectives on young people also.

I now declare your conference open.

ENDS