State care has been used as a colonising tool to sever mokopuna Māori from their whakapapa and to undermine Māori culture and the sovereignty of tangata whenua in Aotearoa. The culture and standard practice of these institutions, which is to steal our mokopuna, subject them to abuse and disregard their whakapapa. Residential facilities were criminal training grounds, teens were recruited into gangs from care homes, and foster children forced to steal to survive. Studies have shown that one in three children placed in residential care by the state ended up in prison later in life. Under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Crown has no legal right to remove mokopuna from their whānau, hapū and iwi and put them in state care. The right to care for, love, and grow mokopuna Māori must be reclaimed for whānau Māori to see significant change in the health and wellbeing of mokopuna Māori.   LINK TO FULL POLICY HERE

Te Reo Māori “Tōku reo, tōku ohooho. Tōku reo, tōku māpihi maurea. Tōku reo, tōku whakakai marihi” Executive Summary The Māori Language Act in 1987 declared Te Reo Māori as an official language in this country. The only other official language in Aotearoa is Sign Language. Estimates report that approximately 20% of the Māori population and 3% of people living in Aotearoa can speak Te Reo Māori. The proportion of Māori able to hold an everyday conversation in the Māori language decreased by 3.7% between 1996 and 2013. The UNESCO Languages Atlas classes Te Reo Māori as a vulnerable language. This is a problem and it is unacceptable. As a result of this dire classifaction, the Māori Party legislated the Te Ture o Te Reo Māori Act 2016 but, there is much more work to be done. To date, there has been marginal resource injected into the revitalisation and protection of Te Reo Māori in comparison to the English language and little has been done to affect enduring systemic change. The Māori Party attributes the lack of systemic influence in policy to the crown’s reluctance to acknowledge Te Reo Māori as equal to the English language. The Māori Party asserts under Article 3 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi where we are promised the same rights as English citizens, that Te Reo Māori me ōna tikanga katoa be treated and valued exactly the same as the English language - Mana ōrite. The Māori Party will; • Change New Zealand’s name to Aotearoa by 2026. • Replace all Pākeha place names, cities and towns to their original Māori ingoa by 2026. • Invest $50m into the establishment of a Māori Standards Authority; an independent statutory entity whose role will be to audit all public service departments against cultural competency standards, including the monitoring and auditing of language plans. • Establish Te Marama o te Reo Māori. • Double Te Mātāwai funding ($28m) • Remunerate Primary and Secondary school’s and kaiako based on their competency of Te Reo Māori. • Ensure that Te Reo Māori and Māori History are core curriculum subjects up to Year 10 at Secondary Schools. • Invest $40m for Early childhood to Secondary School kaiako to develop their reo. • Require all Primary Schools to incorporate Te Reo Māori into 25% of their curriculum by 2026 and 50% by 2030. • Invest $20m into the development of Te Reo Māori resources. • Require all state funded broadcasters (workforce) across all mediums to have a basic fluency level of Te Reo Māori. Context With name changes over our landscape to force cultural oppression and the imposition of a colonial agenda in the education system in the early 1900s, Te Reo Māori fluency among our tipuna went from 90% in 1910 to 26% in 1950. In only 40 years, Pākeha managed to successfully strip us of our language and we are still feeling the impacts of this agenda today. The WAI 262 (2011) report, Ko Aotearoa Tēnei, highlighted that current trends for the maintenance of Te Reo Māori, “suggest that the ongoing gains being made with te reo are not offsetting the ongoing losses occurring as older speakers pass away. Moreover, the theoretically ongoing gains are in fact beginning to turn into losses amongst the crucial younger age groups, who represent the future health of te reo” It is the duty of the crown to do all that it can to restore the status of our Reo to where it was when they arrived on our whenua. The Māori Party position is that Te Reo Māori is the language of Aotearoa. As such, The Māori Party expects for the crown to actively protect and promote Te Reo Māori and encourage its use by Iwi, Māori and all citizens of Aotearoa regardless of ethnicity. Until the crown recognises this position, they will continue to remove themselves from their duty to; 1. ensure meaningful initiatives for the protection and promotion of Te Reo Māori are far reaching and, 2. implement policy that addresses systemic failure to truly promote and protect Te Reo Māori as the official language of Aotearoa Solution The Māori Party believes that for Te Reo Māori to be normalised in this country and if we intend to grow the Māori language economy, we must require for Te Reo Māori to be accessible in the most obvious of places; on our televisions, on our radio stations, onroad signs and maps and in our education system. Furthermore, the Māori Party assert that in order for our aspirations to be realised, all public service departments must be held to account where cultural competency and Te Reo Māori strategies are concerned. We understand that the education sector, the public service sector and the media/broadcasting sector serve as significant influencers in language acquisition and normalisation. We also understand that a cultural shift towards embracing Te Reo Māori as the official indigenous language of Aotearoa requires systemic changes that are led from the leadership of our country; the NZ State Sector. Our solutions are framed around a key recommendation offered by the Wai 262 Waitangi Tribunal Report: Ko Aotearoa Tēnei. The report recommended that the status of Te Reo Māori could be heightened via reform that would see orgaisations like Te Taura Whiri o Te Reo Māori functioning with more power to help develop and approve of Māori language plans in central and local Government departments, State-fundedschools, State-funded broadcasters. This recommendation forms the basis of our approach and provides much needed substance to the current Maihi Karauna Strategy. The Māori Party will; • Ensure New Zealand’s name is changed to Aotearoa by 2026. • Replace all Pākeha place names, cities and towns to their original Māori ingoa by 2026. • Invest $50m into the establishment of a Māori Standards Authority; an independent statutory entity whose role will be to audit all public service departments against cultural competency standards, including the monitoring and auditing of language plans. • Establish Te Marama o te Reo Māori. • Double Te Mātāwai funding ($28m) • Remunerate Primary and Secondary school’s and kaiako based on their competency of Te Reo Māori. • Ensure that Te Reo Māori and Māori History are core curriculum subjects up to Year 10 at Secondary Schools. • Invest $40m for Early childhood to Secondary School kaiako to develop their reo. • Require all Primary Schools to incorporate Te Reo Māori into 25% of their curriculum by 2026 and 50% by 2030. • Require all state funded broadcasters (workforce) across all mediums to have a basic fluency level of Te Reo Māori.   References The Social Report 2016 – Te Pūrongo Oranga TangataWAI 262 Report: Ko Aotearoa TēneiUNESCO Languages AtlasThe Native Language ActTe Ture mo Te Reo Māori Act 2016Maihi Karauna – Crown Strategy for Language Revitalisation

Executive Summary   Currently, Toi Māori in all its forms; music, visual art, film and television, broadcasting and performing arts to name a few is valued so lowly in comparison to other non-indigenous art forms in this country, yet the promotion of Aotearoa is predominantly marketed by the works produced by our Māori creatives. Access to funding and resource across the board in the Culture and Arts sector is inequitable for Māori. An example of these disparities can be seen in the funding of Te Matatini, who receive $1.9m compared with the Royal NZ Ballet receiving $5.4m and the NZ Symphony Orchestra receiving $16.3m. Toi Māori is our ahurea Māori. It is not just a tourism strategy or a simple “art” strategy. Toi Māori is our total wellbeing strategy; our mental health strategy, our physical health strategy, our Reo Māori strategy, our Educational strategy, our whakapapa strategy, our tourism strategy, our community development strategy and our cultural defense strategy and must be recognised as such. For too long the crown has feasted off our cultural intellectual property and have used it as a means to selfishly ignite international relationships and tourism interests without any consideration for the development of our culture here at home and the positive impact it has on our wellbeing. We intend to begin the process of reclaiming our cultural intellectual property and taking full control of the way our culture is projected nationally and internationally. Māori Party will: Allocate $19m to Te Matatini Allocate $10m to Community, Hapū and Iwi development of Kapahaka and its accompanying art forms. Establish an independent Toi Māori entity worth $57m dedicated to the protection and projection of all Toi Māori. This entity will be funded directly by the government and will be based on a commissioning model. Make the new Toi Māori entity a Statutory Body on the Lottery Grants Board by 2023 that receives equal funding to Creative NZ. Establish a research fund worth $10m for the purpose of producing an evidence base for how Toi Māori contributes to oranga Māori, with the intention of Toi Māori being funded across all sectors equitably by 2023.   Context Before colonisation, our world, our culture, our primary method of communication and our oranga sat in the realm of what Pākeha now call “art”. Overtime, the projection of our indigenous voice has been degraded to an “art form” which has aided and abetted a colonisation agenda that has been instrumental in the depletion of the very existence of our cultural intellect. Our culture, our “art” and our creativity are synonymous with one another. Māori creativity in its entirety is inextricably linked to our wellbeing because it is rooted in Mātauranga Māori. The current funding model for our entire cultural intellectual property has been relegated to the Ministry of Culture & Heritage and a portion of it sitting in the Ministry of Māori Development. The discrimination against the value of our culture and the crowns tendency to reduce it down to just an “art form” is oppressive and continues to stifle our ability to effectively design and implement our own solutions to our oranga. In 2016/17 Te Matatini received a funding increase to $1.9 million, and funding for kapa haka has remained at that level since then. By comparison, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) has been allocated $14.6 million per annum and for this current year were given an extra overspend allocation of $1.5 million; $16.3 million in total. The Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) also receives $5.4 million each year. Of the three organisations, only Te Matatini reached its target audience of 65,000. Te Matatini is also the only one of the three with a required online / television audience target of 1 million views. Te Matatini will receive, in the year ahead, one-seventh of the funding provided to NZSO but is required to achieve higher audience participation rates.   Solution Our aim is to assert the notion that Toi Māori is a total wellbeing strategy for Māori and that we must create opportunities for Māori to be in total control of the protection and projection of our indigenous voice. We demand to be the sole determinants of the way our cultural intellectual property is projected locally and offshore. Our Toi Māori plan will begin the process of reimagining our world, re-writing the narrative, reinstating traditional wānanga and traditional practices, building capability and capacity in the Toi Māori sector for the purpose of oranga and for the protection and projection of our indigenous voice. Māori Party will: Allocate $19m to Te Matatini Allocate $10m to Community, Hapū and Iwi development of Kapahaka and its accompanying art forms. Establish an independent Toi Māori entity worth $57m dedicated to the protection and projection of all Toi Māori. This entity will be funded directly by the government and will be based on a commissioning model. Make the new Toi Māori entity a Statutory Body on the Lottery Grants Board by 2023 that receives equal funding to Creative NZ. Establish a research fund worth $10m for the purpose of producing an evidence base for how Toi Māori contributes to oranga Māori, with the intention of Toi Māori being funded across all sectors equitably by 2023.  

Māori Party Mana Motuhake Policy Executive Summary The Māori Party rededicate ourselves to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, a covenant entered into by our people and the Crown, starting with a meeting of our northern Māori leadership on the 6th February 1840 at Waitangi. We distil the three clauses of a constitutional document that is the foundation of this country’s nationhood. Te Tiriti reaffirmed our precolonial mana motuhake rights: The first article of the covenant awarded total custodianship of Aotearoa to the Crown. It did not award ownership. The second article put beyond all doubt the assertion of Rangatiratanga – the right of Māori to have total control and governance of all their own domains. The third article asserted that Māori would be treated equally with all non-Māori. Clearly, and at huge cost to document, this covenant was breached from the day it was signed and continues to be breached 180 years later. The Māori Party has announced a policy platform that is intergenerational and will never be retreated from. The only way this nation can work is where Māori assert their right to self-management, self-determination, and self-governance over all their domains. The Māori Party will: Commit all Māori to the Māori electoral roll by 2023. Entrench all Māori electorates. Establish a Māori Parliament. Implement all Matike Mai recommendations for constitutional transformation Overhaul the Te Tiriti settlement process and end the fiscal envelope. Insert relativity clauses into all Te Tiriti settlements, to ensure all iwi have parity with Ngāi Tahu and Waikato-Tainui. Make Waitangi Tribunal recommendations binding on the Crown, and implement all unaddressed WAI claim recommendations. Abolish “full and final” settlements and the “large natural groupings” approach to recognising mana whenua groups. Return conservation land to whānau, hapū and iwi Māori. Introduce a first right of refusal policy for mana whenua when private land of historical significance comes up for sale – like Ihumātao. Remove the racist provision that allows for referenda to overturn council’s decisions to establish Māori wards. Establish a Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti o Waitangi to provide oversight of the Crown.   Solution Implementing constitutional transformation Māori Parliament We demand a Māori Parliament, exactly the same as has been granted to the Irish, the Scots and the Welsh. Westminster did not work for the Scots or the Irish - Wellington definitely does not work for Māori. Our right to self-governance and self-determination is clear. All fiscal transfers to this Māori Parliament have been clearly identified by the Māori Party in the release of its policies. Mainstream management of matters Māori will come to an end. The Māori Party will: Demand a Māori Parliament   Matike Mai Matike Mai Aotearoa, the Independent Working Group on Constitutional Transformation, was first promoted at a meeting of the Iwi Chairs’ Forum in 2010. The Terms of Reference given to the Working Group were deliberately broad – “To develop and implement a model for an inclusive Constitution for Aotearoa based on tikanga and kawa, He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Niu Tireni of 1835, Te Tiriti o Waitangi of 1840, and other indigenous human rights instruments which enjoy a wide degree of international recognition”. The working group, led by Moana Jackson and Margaret Mutu, undertook a significant process of engagement over several years with tangata whenua right across Aotearoa. When Matike Mai published their report in 2016, they recommended: 1. That during the next five years Iwi, Hapū, and other lead Māori organisations promote ongoing formal and informal discussions among Māori about the need for and possibilities of constitutional transformation. 2. That such discussions also be included as an annual agenda item at national hui of lead Māori organisations such as the Waitangi hui of the Iwi Chairs’ Forum. 3. That a Māori Constitutional Convention be called in 2021 to further the discussion and develop a comprehensive engagement strategy across the country. 4. That at an appropriate time during the next five years a further Working Group be appointed to begin consideration of relevant structural and procedural issues as they pertain to Māori. 5. That at an appropriate time during the next five years Iwi, Hapū, and lead Māori organisations initiate dialogue with other communities in their rohe about the need for and possibilities of constitutional transformation. 6. That at an appropriate time during the next five years Iwi, Hapū, and lead Māori organisations initiate formal dialogue with the Crown and local authorities about the need for and possibilities of constitutional transformation. 7. That in 2021 Iwi, Hapū, and lead Māori organisations initiate dialogue with the Crown to organise a Tiriti Convention to further discussions about the need for and possibilities of constitutional transformation. The Māori Party commits to implementing all Matike Mai recommendations. It is well past time that Aotearoa undertook the fundamental constitutional transformation that these recommendations prescribe. We will always champion the introduction of constitutional guarantees of the tino Rangatiratanga and mana motuhake of whānau, hapū and iwi. The Māori Party will: Implement all Matike Mai recommendations for constitutional transformation Champion constitutional guarantees of tino Rangatiratanga and mana motuhake   Overhauling the Te Tiriti settlement process The Māori Party will overhaul the Treaty settlement process, reforming it to create a new Te Tiriti reconciliation process that is fair, durable and considers new precedent. We are clear that fundamental reform is needed to the settlement process. The key Crown policy settings for negotiations that must change if the process is to be durable and have the confidence of tangata whenua, and we must once and for all end the “fiscal envelope” and arbitrary deadlines for settlement claims. We should instead look to an ongoing process for Māori-Crown reconciliation and relationship-building. The Māori Party would empower the Waitangi Tribunal by legislating to make their recommendations binding on the Crown, and we would work to implement all of the WAI claim recommendations that have been unaddressed over the last several decades. The Māori Party will: Overhaul the Te Tiriti settlement process and end the fiscal envelope Insert relativity clauses into all Te Tiriti settlements, to ensure all iwi have parity with Ngāi Tahu and Waikato-Tainui Make Waitangi Tribunal recommendations binding on the Crown, and implement all unaddressed WAI claim recommendations   Ending full and final settlements and large natural groupings The Government's always had the policy of wanting to settle all the historical claims with an iwi grouping at once in one settlement. The policy parameters that the Crown operates under, for example excluding the use of private land, mean there's never really been any discussion about how a particular piece of land might be dealt with because it was not part of the negotiations at all. The Māori Party wants to see an end to “full and final” settlements, to allow historical claims to be revisited, and new claims brought, where situations have changed or whānau, hapū or iwi groups were shut out of the original negotiations. Often groups are shut out of negotiations due the Crown’s large natural groupings policy, which doesn’t recognise the mandate of whānau, hapū and relatively small iwi. Time and time again hapū with legitimate claims have been shut down in negotiations and this has caused further harm. This divide and rule tactic has created new Te Tiriti breaches even as the Crown tries to settle historical breaches. Hapū were the primary political unit in precolonial te ao Māori. The Māori Party upholds hapūtanga and recognise that it was the rangatira of hapū that signed Te Tiriti, and so we would ensure that the Crown negotiates with whānau and hapū and recognises their mana whenua. The Māori Party will: Abolish the ‘full and final’ settlements policy Abolish the ‘large natural groupings’ policy and ensure that whānau, hapū and smaller iwi can have their rights recognised   Use of private and council land It is time to get rid of the policy that says land that is currently in private or council ownership is unavailable for use in Treaty settlements and negotiations with hapū and iwi. The recent Ihumātao case highlights how some of our most significant and precious land is in private ownership. We do not think that landowners should have land forcibly purchased or taken from them, as in many cases happened to our tupuna. But when land comes up for sale, there should be a first right of refusal for mana whenua, especially when land is of historical, cultural or spiritual value. The Māori Party would develop and introduce a first right of refusal policy for mana whenua when private land of historical significance comes up for sale. When the Crown reformed the Local Government Act in 2004, they introduced a provision that meant that all local government land couldn't be included in Treaty settlements. Those who settled prior to that were able to access council land. There is no good reason why council land shouldn’t be used for Māori-Crown reconciliation, and so the Māori would remove this provision from law. The Māori Party will: Ensure that private and local government land can be returned to mana whenua Introduce a first right of refusal policy for mana whenua when private land of historical significance comes up for sale   Use of conservation land The Māori Party will return conservation land to whānau, hapū and iwi Māori. Under successive governments, there has been resistance from the Department of Conservation (DOC) to the use of conservation land in Treaty settlements, resistance which has only increased under the current Government. This has been a significant barrier to the return of stolen land to hapū and iwi as part of redress under the settlement process. It is imperative that the Crown and its department, DOC, recognise that hapū and iwi are not just up to it, but that we are the ideal kaitiaki of our own whenua, awa and moana. The return of the management of Te Ūrewera to Tūhoe, and their relationship with DOC, shows how this acknowledgement can be implemented successfully in practice. We would also overturn the policy, implemented in 2009, of not using camping grounds in the DOC estate, for the purpose of returning land to tangata whenua. While affording camping opportunities for New Zealanders have their importance that does not compare to the importance of reconciling the historical theft of land that is of huge significance to tangata whenua. The Māori Party will: Return conservation land to whānau, hapū and iwi Māori Overturn the Crown policy of not using camping grounds in the DOC estate for the purpose of returning land to tangata whenua   Ensuring effective Crown oversight   Electoral reform It’s critical that our people are able to participate in Crown decision-making processes fairly and accessibly. The threat of removing Māori representation is often used as a weapon against our people. We must entrench the Māori electorates and commit all Māori to the Māori electoral roll. We also need to get serious about Māori representation in local government. While the form and method of representation and relationship should be determined by mana whenua in each local area, at the very least central government must immediately amend the Electoral Act to ensure that council’s decisions to establish Māori wards can’t be overturned by the racist provision that enables binding referendums – the same provision does not exist for general or rural wards. The Māori Party will: Entrench the Māori electorate seats Remove the racist provision that allows for referenda to overturn council’s decisions to establish Māori wards Commit all Māori to the Māori electoral roll by 2023 Reduce the party vote threshold to 2.5%   Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti o Waitangi One of the Māori Party’s priorities will be to establish a Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti o Waitangi to provide oversight and ensure that the Crown meets its obligations under the Treaty partnership. Currently there is no oversight of legislation or Crown departments and agencies from a Te Tiriti perspective. That’s unacceptable. The Crown has an environmental commission, a human rights commission, a disability commission – it’s well past time to establish a Treaty commission. The Māori Party will introduce legislation to establish a Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti o Waitangi with functions and powers to enable them to: 1. Review and investigate priority issues of concern2. Provide advice to Parliament3. Contribute to public debate through the provision of information and analysis The Commissioner will be appointed for a five-year term on the recommendation of Parliament and hapū, iwi and lead Māori organisations. Based on the budgets for other parliamentary commissioners, establishing this office would require approximately $4m in funding per annum. The Māori Party will: Establish a Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti o Waitangi that is jointly appointed by tangata whenua and the Crown to provide oversight of the Crown   Te Tiriti o Waitangi impact statements Currently, Te Tiriti is only formally considered in legislation and regulation when the Government considers it relevant. However, we know that all Crown laws and regulations have impacts on tangata whenua and on the implementation of Te Tiriti. The Māori Party will: Ensure that all pieces of legislation, executive regulations and cabinet papers are required to have Te Tiriti impact statements   Context The Waitangi Tribunal was established in 1975 to consider contemporary breaches of Te Tiriti. In 1985 the tribunal was empowered to hear historical grievances dating back to 1840. Since then the Crown has worked to negotiate settlements with iwi groups across the country and is now nearing the completion of all historical claims that have been lodged. The strong desire of the Crown and tangata whenua to settle historical Treaty grievances has led to a mainstream narrative that this will be led to the Treaty itself being settled, and the end of Māori-Crown reconciliation under Te Tiriti. But as Moana Jackson has so often said, treaties are not settled, they’re honoured. Te Tiriti is a document that is the foundation of a living, evolving relationship between tangata whenua and the Crown. Both parties to Te Tiriti must continually strive to meet the obligations it sets out and implement the three articles in everything we do. Successive National and Labour governments have established a bipartisan consensus on the Treaty settlement process. These major parties have operated in lockstep over key negotiation policy settings such as full and final settlements, and only negotiating with ‘large natural groupings’. This bipartisan consensus has prevented a truly just and durable reconciliation between tangata whenua and the Crown. The Crown has forced its policy of ‘full and final’ settlements on all the iwi it has negotiated with under the settlement process. It has also often caused new breaches and grievances through its negotiation policies, such as only negotiating with groups it determines and excluding the use of most land for negotiations. In recent years tangata whenua and the Crown have negotiated new and innovate processes for Māori-Crown reconciliation and Treaty justice that sit outside of the formal Treaty settlement process. In 2016, two sections of land from the historic Rangiriri pā site were returned to Waikato-Tainui. This was not connected to the settlement process, but instead came about due to the support the Māori Party received for commemorating the New Zealand Land Wars. The landmark Parihaka reconciliation agreement, signed at the He Puanga Haeata ceremony at Parihaka in 2017, also occurred under a process outside of the formal settlement process and was undertaken on the Crown side by Christopher Finlayson as Attorney General, not as Minister for Treaty Settlements. These innovative and nation-building approaches to Māori-Crown reconciliation are welcome and should set a precedent for our how further reconciliation can occur. The rangatahi-led mana whenua occupation at Ihumātao has also been a key signal that we are entering a new era of Te Tiriti justice. The land was confiscated from the Kīngitanga in 1867 and has been in private ownership since. Since the Government intervention to prevent further police escalation on the whenua, the Kīngitanga have been leading a process to negotiate for the return of the land. This process could lead to a new precedent with a piece of land in private ownership being used for Māori-Crown reconciliation.

Whānau Build “Ko te whare e tū ana ki te pārae he kai nā te ahi, ko te whare e tū ana ki te pātūwatawata koina te tohu o te rangatira” Executive Summary Our Rights All whānau have a right to a constant, warm, leak-free secure home. All tāmariki have a right to a warm, safe home with the same health, welfare and support systems wrapped around them that non-Māori take for granted. Our Injustices New Zealanders all know there is a housing crisis, even non-Maori live in cars, garages and under hedges. However, it is only when non-Māori also suffer in a housing crisis that the Government then decide to do something. A Māori voice and position has never been heard, we suffer in silence as second-class citizens in our own land. We are an afterthought, not a forethought. The Maori Party will; 1. Build 2000 houses on our ancestral lands and we will do this in the next two years. 2. Ensure fifty percent of all new social housing allocated to Māori to give our Whānau and tamariki a fair go in education, health and welfare. 3. Stop all sales of freehold land to offshore foreign interests. 4. Place a 2% tax on the capital value of a vacant or empty house if they remain unoccupied for 3 months or longer in any one year. 5. The Overseas Investment Act must apply to all residential housing purchases as many of these ghost/vacant houses are owned by foreign interests. 6. Add a Capital Gains Tax on all property set at 2% of the appreciation per annum – other than on the whānau home. 7. Ensures the Government re-enter the housing market to develop and build state housing stock. Context Our Māori Reality Since 1986, the number of Māori forced to rent has increased by 88.3%. Seventy percent of Māori cannot afford homes and are living in rentals. One third of Māori live in a house considered damp and or overcrowded. Māori make up 50% of the waiting list for Social Housing. Thirty three percent of all Māori will shift residence every three years. There were 191,646 unoccupied dwellings on census night, 2018. Thirty-eight thousands of those ghost dwellings were in Auckland. At the rate of Kiwi Build delivery, we will turn out the 100,000 promised new houses in 436 years. That will make Prime Minister Jacinda Arden 476 years old when she opens the 100,000th Kiwi Build House. Solution The Maori Party will; 1. Build 2000 houses on our ancestral lands, we will do this in the next two years. Reconnection to our whenua We will build 2000 houses on our ancestral lands, we will do this in the next two years. Cost: $600 million These houses will be funded by the state as a long-overdue investment that others have taken for granted. It will help in resetting and reorganising Māori whānau and Māori whenua by making available land for Papakaīnga and ensuring that our land is used in the best possible way. It will contribute in large part to the re-establishment of our marae-based communities that were ripped apart by urbanisation of the 1950s and 1960s. Māori construction workers and trade trainees will spearhead these projects. 2. Ensure fifty percent of all new social housing must be allocated to Māori to give our Whānau and tamariki a fair go in education, health and welfare. Social Housing for Whānau Fifty percent of all new social housing must be allocated to Māori so to give our Whānau and tamariki a fair go in education, health and welfare. By having certainty with long-term housing, then we can look to enduring outcomes for stronger, healthier whānau. 3. Stop all sales of freehold land to offshore foreign interests Not One More Acre! Stop all sales of freehold land to offshore foreign interests. Freehold sales will be replaced by leasehold sales opportunities only. 4. A 2% tax on the capital value of a ghost house will apply to vacant residential houses if they remain unoccupied for 3 months or longer in any one year. Vacant Housing Tax A 2% tax on the capital value of a ghost house will apply to vacant residential houses if they remain unoccupied for 3 months or longer in any one year. This policy is expected to free up over 50,000 houses and ensure that an asset class that people invest in but can never lose has some consequences for the greater common good of our country. 5. Capital Gains Tax A Capital Gains Tax on all property set at 2% of the appreciation per annum – other than on the whānau home. 6. Kāinga Ora Ensures the Government re-enters the housing market to develop and build state housing stock.      

Te Pāti Māori will: Increase funding for Te Aka Whai Ora (Māori Health Authority).25% of all Health funding to be transferred to and administer by the Te Aka Whai Ora. Free Primary Care for Whānau earning less than $60,000. Free Dental Care or Whānau earning less than $60,000. Free delivery of medication to houses for whānau earning less than $60,000. Implement A Māori Health Card - Whānau in control of the health services they need.Issued to all Māori linked to their NHI number and ensures that health funding follows the Māori patient and not a Hospital, a Primary Healthcare Organisation, or a General Practice. Health must be about the patient, and funding must follow that patient’s preferences. We can no longer have our money spent for us on a service that fails us. Invest $1 billion per annum in Health Workforce Development. Accelerate and Protect Mātauranga Māori Models of Health. Establish a comprehensive Kaupapa Māori Mental Health Service. Drop Māori Cancer Screening By 10 years. Increase funding for PHARMAC. Establish a Māori Accident Compensation Authority LINK TO FULL POLICY HERE  

Incomes Policy Executive Summary We have an economy and social security system that is broken, and that have never worked for Māori.  No one should suffer the injustices of poverty, inequality, and a lack of life opportunities. Everyone should enough income to live dignified, and meaningful lives. Lifting whānau out of poverty is impossible if they do not have adequate incomes to survive with an ever-increasing cost of living. The Māori Party will; 1. Immediately raise the minimum wage to $25 per hour and legislate for an annual increase to keep up with cost of living increases 2. Guarantee pay equity for Māori nurses and teachers 3. Double baseline benefit levels 4. Individualise benefits 5. Remove financial penalties, sanctions, and work-test obligations 6. Cancel income support related debt and ensure that additional grants do not need to be paid back in future 7. Raise abatement rates for benefits and student allowances 8. Create a universal student allowance and double student allowance rates 9. Introduce free public transport for students at all levels 10. Write off the living cost component of all student loans and work towards writing off the total student loan for those who work in Aotearoa for a period of five years Context There are hundreds of thousands of whānau living in poverty in Aotearoa and material hardship is increasing. Around two hundred thousand children are living in poverty. Half a million people experience hardship in education, health, income, housing, material well-being, or employment. Aotearoa has a social security system that is broken, and a low-wage economy that is increasingly comprised of insecure jobs with no guarantee of hours and pay, forcing many to work two or three jobs. Māori unemployment is double Pākehā unemployment, while Māori disproportionately work in low-wage jobs. In 2019 the Government’s Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) released its report, Whakamana Tāngata – Restoring Dignity to Social Security in New Zealand. They found that evidence is overwhelming that incomes are inadequate for many people, both those receiving a benefit and those in low-paid work. Current levels of support fail to cover even basic costs for many people, let alone allowing them to meaningfully participate in their communities. Due to global economic effects of Covid-19, we are also likely to be entering a significant economic recession, and so lifting incomes will not just help ensure people can continue to survive with a rising cost of living, but also help to stimulate the economy with increased spending. By setting the unemployment payment for people out of work from COVID at nearly double the normal unemployment benefit, the Government was acknowledging that normal benefit levels force whānau to live in poverty and hardship. This economic recession will also no doubt have a significant increase in unemployment, which will be even worse for Māori. Māori workers are already losing their jobs because of the crisis. There is an even greater need than usual for a strong Government-led programme for creating jobs,apprenticeships, and training opportunities. Solution The core principle that is the foundation of this policy is that everyone should enough income to live dignified, and meaningful lives regardless of whether they are in work or not. No one in Aotearoa should suffer the injustices of poverty, inequality, and a lack of life opportunities. We need to do everything we can to ensure whānau have what they need to do well. We need to focus on lifting wages and incomes, helping people into meaningful employment, and recognising the value of all work in whānau, hapū, iwi and communities, regardless of whether its paid work or not. The policy will support whānau to lift themselves out of poverty and hardship by focusing on lifting the incomes who have the least; low-wage workers, beneficiaries, and tertiary students, ensuring that they have a guaranteed minimum income that they can afford to live on. Wages & Pay Equity Recent increases in the minimum wage have provided some welcome relief for low-wage workers, but given the COVID-19 economic impacts, this urgently needs to go much further. We need to put a stake in the ground and make clear that no one should be paid anything less than a living wage. Therefore, the Māori Party position is to immediately raise the minimum wage to $25 per hour and legislate for an annual increase to keep up with cost of living increases. Doing this will ensure that all private sector workers and workers who are contracted by the Crown or through their procurement are paid a living wage. We are deeply concerned by reports that current Government has not progressed negotiations to ensure that Māori nurses achieve pay equity and are paid both what they deserve, and what our counterparts earn. The Māori Party would progress the pay negotiations and guarantee that DHB procurement policies adequately fund Māori health providers to ensure pay equity is achievable. We would also guarantee that Māori teachers and support staff are paid fairly and in line with what are additional responsibilities that they often hold. We know that an important way for workers to increase their wages is with union membership and collective bargaining. The Māori Party will legislate to protect collective bargaining and ensure that all workers are easily able to join a union. The Māori Party will; • Immediately raise the minimum wage to $25 per hour and legislate for an annual increase to keep up with cost of living increases • Guarantee pay equity for Māori nurses and teachers • Eliminate starting-off / youth rate wages • Legislate to ensure the ability for multi-employer collective bargaining and collective bargaining for contractors Welfare & Social Security No one receiving income support should be living in poverty, and therefore baseline benefit levels must be above the poverty line. Over a year ago the WEAG recommended an increase in baseline benefits levels of between 12% to 47%, but the Government declined to implement that or most of the other WEAG recommendations. In response to the Covid-19 situation, the Government announced an increase in baseline benefit levels. This was welcome support for low-income whānau at a time of stress and difficulty, however it only equated to a 13% increase, which is very much at the lower end of what the WEAG recommended. It was even less for couples and sole parents, and for those on the supported living benefit. The Māori Party will resist the Government’s attempts to entrench a two-tier welfare system and instead we would ensure that no one lives below the poverty line. We still need further significant increases in baseline benefit levels, and wider reform of our social security system, in the effort to eliminate poverty in Aotearoa. The Māori Party would double benefit levels, so that the combined increases reach the upper end of the WEAG recommendation. There is little evidence in support of using obligations and sanctions to change behaviour; rather, there is research indicating that they compound social harm and disconnectedness. The Māori Party will remove obligations, sanctions and financial penalties including: • Excessive appointment requirements • Repeated proof of disability or sickness • Relationship investigations • Work test obligations The Māori Party will remove the youth benefit which pays a lower rate than standard benefit for 17, 18 and 19-year olds, and forces them to meet extra obligations. Māori young people are overrepresented. There is no reason why young people should receive a lower rate, especially when often they have to find their own two feet and may have additional income support needs. We will also ensure that the special needs grant is culturally appropriate including by acknowledging the extra costs of the tangihanga process, such as unveilings and a much longer process. Recently revealed information from Work and Income NZ (WINZ) shows that 100,000 Māori owe financial debts to WINZ.  Nearly 1 in 7 Māori are indebted to state for income support needs. The information also shows that repayment rates higher than non-Māori. Seeking help for income support from WINZ shouldn’t put people in debt. The Māori Party would cancel income support related debt and ensure that additional grants do not need to be paid back in future. The Māori Party will; • Double baseline benefit levels • Remove financial penalties, sanctions and work-test obligations • Individualise benefits • Increase the amount people can earn before benefits are cut by raising abatement rates • Remove the youth benefit • Cancel income support related debt and ensure that additional grants do not need to be paid back in future • Ensure the special needs grant recognises additional cultural costs such as with the tangihanga process Student Support Plan Māori are more likely to face barriers to tertiary education from the low level of income support for students to the high cost of the tuition itself. We need a fair, liveable student allowance for all tertiary students: part-time, undergraduate, postgraduate, students of all ages and long courses. This universal student allowance must be individualized away from parental earnings and contain less penalties for extra income earnings. Thestudent allowance should cover accommodation, course related costs, living and health costs. Getting a tertiary education should not mean a huge debt burden for students. The Māori Party would write off the living cost component of all student loans and work towards writing off the total student loan for those who work in Aotearoa for a period of five years. The Māori Party will: • Create a universal student allowance and double student allowance rates, in line with benefit increases • Restore full student allowance eligibility for postgraduate, part-time, and long course students • Raise abatement rates for student allowances • Extend free public transport to tertiary students • Write off the living cost component of all student loan debt and work towards writing off the total student loan for those who work in Aotearoa for a period of five years

Whānau Pakari – Sport and Wellbeing Policy Executive Summary He Whānau Pakari e ora ai te tangata – Mai rā anō i te whitinga mai ki Aotearoa kua pakari te tīnana, te hinengaro me te wairua. Me hoki anō tātau kia tū hei whānau pakari, hei whānau ora. The Māori Party acknowledges that exercise has been a big part of who we are, how we came here and how we would traverse the lands of Aotearoa. Māori invented many sports prior to European arrival. Running, Swimming, Fishing, Waka, Hunting, Kī o Rahi, Taiaha/Mau rakau/Te Whare Tū Taua, to name a few - all examples of a tūpuna mindset, an ancestral way of being and acting which we call – Whānau Pakari. The ability to exercise and strive for excellence. Whānau Pakari is part of our Oranga Tangata policy framework. There is much to be taught and learnt from the navigators of our past and how we can use that mātauranga to sail and paddle our way into a future frame by Whānau Pakari. When there is commitment, dedication, and great support around Māori to achieve a high standard in sport, it is guaranteed that Māori will thrive. Our ancestors were not just athletic they were also strategic thinkers with intentions to survive.  This all required, stamina, resilience, endurance, speed, agility, and logic. There is great opportunity to showcase the sporting talent of Māori on the world stage. Nurturing pathways for our mokopuna and tamariki to aspire to and offer pathways into education opportunities. The Māori Party will; 1. Establish and fund a National Māori Sporting body, targeting Māori sporting codes andsports with high Māori participation 2. Establish a $100M Whānau Pakari fund for 3-years to invest into Māori sporting codes a. Funding Māori sporting academies that incorporate Whānau Pakari principlesb. Funding scholarships to ensure that barriers for Māori are eliminated and to allow their potential to shinec. Funding iwi & hapū Pā Wars eventsd. Upskilling volunteers and coaches in sporting codes with high Māori participation 3. Ensure that funds go directly to the regional Māori sporting codes for Māori, by Māori and not via regional sporting bodies 4. Ensure sporting codes with high Māori participation have Māori governing boards, allowing them to individually compete at world cup events as Aotearoa Māori 5. Provide a Māori Sports mentoring programme; delivering tertiary education opportunities & career pathways for life beyond the sporting field Context In the early 19th century, Europeans bought new sports to NZ. Some became more popular with Māori than others. In 1883 Māori boxer Herbert Slade fought the American heavyweight champion in New York and lost but became a celebrity. Too often Māori have to travel to other countries to live to be recognised on the world stage. We want them to stay in their homeland and represent their country as tangata whenua of this country under the banner of Aotearoa Māori. In the early 20th century, Māori formed their own teams. Māori sporting associations were founded in various sports. The first official national Māori rugby team was selected in 1910 prior to George Nepia playing for the All Blacks. Rugby League and Hockey were other popular sports codes for Māori. From the 20th century, Golf, Cricket, Tennis, Hockey, netball, Touch rugby, Waka Ama, Football, Squash, Basketball & Golden Shears saw many Māori represent on the world stage. It is only through a coordinated Māori centred approach that we can revive collective and individual Māori success through Whānau Pakari. Māori sporting codes have survived on pure grit and determination to keep these codes alive. You will often find a couple of parents who are key drivers that will more than likely be pulling money out of their own wallets to ensure theirs and other tamariki in their regions get to represent their codes and eliminate the financial burden. A specific Māori fund through Whānau Pakari will ensure those burdens are reduced heavily or eliminated. We cannot afford to lose our place in the sporting world. It has been quoted by some Māori that have represented on the world stage that if there was a Māori world stage team in their particular code that they would’ve wanted to represent in that team. Our Māori boarding school pupils were high contributors to many of the sporting representation on the world stage. As the existence of such schools has declined so too has our representation. Nowadays, we have parents applying more than just sports to the game. These parents hold the young tamariki accountable, set goals, offer employment to get them giving back to the sport (coach, referee), up skill them and travel opportunities because they see the potential our Māori tamariki have. This is not exclusive to any particular Māori sporting code, you will find this in every Māori sporting code. Too many of our tamariki miss the opportunities in sport because of the financial burden placed on their families will give up and turn to drugs and gangs. Sport is the alternative for many keeping them busy and offering them opportunities to travel and be better, see the world and give them the confidence our tamariki rightfully deserve in their own country.  

Māori Party education & training policy Executive Summary Mā te huruhuru, ka rere te manu Our education system is continuing to fail far too many Māori students. Kaupapa Māori education is under-resourced, undervalued and remains marginalised in the education system. The Pākehā mainstream education system is broken and institutionally racist, despite the good work of many.  Fundamental change is required to ensure that tamariki and rangatahi Māori can fulfil their potential. The Māori Party vision for education is to ensure that all tamariki are supported to thrive and be themselves and receive high-quality education that sets them on the pathway to achieve their dreams, regardless of where they go to school. No one can realise their aspirations unless they know who they are, where they come from, and are proud of their culture and heritage. Our policy is centred around three pou; resourcing and valuing kaupapa Māori education, overhauling the Pākehā mainstream system and creating pathways for school leavers. The Māori Party will: Resource and value kaupapa Māori education Ensure all Māori medium education is funded equal to its mainstream equivalents through equity-based funding models Establish a $200m fund to drive whānau, hapū and iwi education and training initiatives including the establishment of new hapū-based wānanga Implement the Te Kōhanga Reo settlement claim (WAI 2336) including by significantly increase operational funding for kōhanga, recognising kaiako qualifications, and guaranteeing pay equity. Increase and promote scholarships available for young Māori to train as teachers of Te Aho Matua and for reo Māori speakers to train as teachers   Overhaul the mainstream education system Require a minimum of 25% of the education budget be directed to Māori models of delivery and pastoral care Ensure that te reo Māori and Māori history are core curriculum subjects in primary up to Year 10 at secondary schools Establish an independent Māori Standards Authority to oversee Māori language funding and audit providers to ensure they meet cultural and reo Māori competency standards Fund free digital devices and free internet for all children from Yr4 – Yr13 Remove the power of schools to expel any student younger than the school leaving age of 16 Require that all schools have Māori in their staff senior leadership teams Fund schools to hire additional Māori support staff who are well-paid and centrally funded Establish a Māori-led taskforce with the mandate to transform how Māori students with disabilities and learning differences are taught and supported Ensure that Māori staff are hired, and existing Māori staff paid extra, to lead cultural programmes such as kapa haka, taiaha, raranga and running school-based marae   Create pathways for school leavers Establish a $276m fund to ramp up the work of STEM and STEAM academies, such as the Pūhoro STEM Academy Double the existing Māori and Pacific trade training and cadetships placements per annum Permanently remove fees from apprenticeships Context A strong sense of identity and self-worth are essential components of strong growth. As evidenced by educational performance data from the Ministry of Education, Māori medium models of education that have the culture at the centre of the delivery methods have outperformed mainstream education regarding Māori performance for decades now. The solutions are known, they are simply ignored and that can no longer be tolerated. As Aotearoa’s economy advances into the next five years the exiting of the baby boomer generation will be felt as they move into retirement. This cohort of the workforce is approximately 30% and they will take with them much of the technical expertise and experience that underpins the current value setting of the economy. This is a risk to the value of the future economy of the country. They will subsequently be replaced by a 30% cohort of young people, primarily Māori and Pasifika. If this cohort of young Māori and Pasifika are under skilled when they arrive at the workforce, due to a flawed education system, the value settings of the future economy are at risk. None of this is ‘new’, it is well understood. The ultimate failing of Aotearoa’s education system is its failure to recognize the Māori culture as an essential component of growth for Māori leaving no other option than conformity. This overt devaluing of the Māori identity is a legacy feature of an education system born out of colonial monocultural dominance. For the sake of our future economy and country, this must end, and Māori must be authorised to redefine and restructure the education system to better serve Māori. It is a simple move to suit demographic shifts in Aotearoa and one that the retirement of ageing Pākehā will be dependent on.  It is also incumbent on our generation to prepare our people to be productive and highly valued participants in the future social, economic, and cultural make up on Aotearoa. Solution Resourcing and valuing kaupapa Māori education We know that Māori parents want Māori environments for their tamariki as that is the only way they can be sure that their tamariki will be safe and empowered to be who they are. The massive strides of kaupapa Māori education movements in the last four decades to educate our young people in the face of systemic inequity and injustice have led to generations of more and more successful rangatahi Māori confident in their culture and who they are. They are using their innate knowledge and talents to carve out their own path in an often hostile and unjust society. Māori medium education not only immerses children in te reo Māori, but in tikanga, kaupapa and wairua Māori. It is a holistic approach that is at the foundation of the curriculum, Te Aho Matua, which provides pathways for educational, cultural, and economic excellence. But this reality has not been recognised or resourced by the Crown. Māori medium education has always been systemically under-resourced and undervalued. The Māori Party will ensure that all Māori medium education from kōhanga to kura kaupapa and wharekura and whare wānanga is funded equal to their mainstream equivalents with an immediate focus of equity-based funding models which may require higher levels of funding through the initial phases. Equity is also expected in capital assistance for the expansion of Māori medium delivery from kōhanga to whare wānanga. We will also establish a $200m fund to drive whānau, hapū and iwi education and training initiatives including the establishment of new hapū-based wānanga, this initiative will localize delivery and require an across agency approach including iwi, hapū and marae and government through Whānau Ora. The Waitangi Tribunal’s Te Kōhanga Reo settlement claim (WAI 2336) tribunal found the Crown's early childhood education system, in particular its funding formula, quality measures, and regulatory regime, had "failed to adequately sustain the specific needs of kōhanga reo as an environment for language transmission and whānau development". We would implement the settlement including by significantly increasing operational funding for kōhanga and recognising kaiako qualifications and guaranteeing pay equity. The Māori Party will: Ensure all Māori medium education from kōhanga to kura kaupapa and wharekura and whare wānanga are funded equal to their mainstream equivalents with an immediate focus of equity-based funding models Establish a $200m fund to drive whānau, hapū and iwi education and training initiatives including the establishment of new hapū-based wānanga Implement the Te Kōhanga Reo settlement claim (WAI 2336) including by significantly increase operational funding for kōhanga, recognising kaiako qualifications, and guaranteeing pay equity Increase and promote scholarships available for young Māori to train as teachers of Te Aho Matua and for reo Māori speakers to train as teachers Overhauling the mainstream education system Even though most Māori parents want their tamariki in more explicitly kaupapa Māori environments, due a huge range of factors including availability and resourcing, most Māori children are still in mainstream education. It is essential that we overhaul the Pākehā education system that fails to embrace tamariki Māori for who they are or put in place structures and policies to ensure that they succeed. We need to implement structural and cultural change in schools, while supporting teachers to do their best by Māori students, and properly resourcing adequate Māori staffing levels. The Māori Party would ensure that mainstream classrooms to speak the language of our tupuna; to include Māori ways of knowing in the curriculum, and to hold our tupuna up as role models of academic excellence. We want children to learn in schools that teach them that their ancestors were great philosophers, scientists, mathematicians, entrepreneurs, and researchers. We want all tamariki to stand tall in the knowledge that they have a rich and distinct heritage of scholarly endeavours. Distinct tribal knowledge and role models matter as they serve as a solid foundation for the transformational learning, innovation, and intellectual and social development of our tamariki. In line with our Whānau First policy, the Māori Party will require that a minimum of 25% of the education budget is directed to Māori models of delivery and pastoral care to ensure our tamariki, and all the way through to pakeke are supported through the education and training pathway and achieve educational and training advancement as Māori. We will introduce te reo Māori and Māori history are core curriculum subjects in primary up to Year 10 at secondary schools, while ensuring that tuition is informed by place-based learning alongside mana whenua. We will also fund the development of teachers’ reo Māori proficiency and new reo Māori resources, while incentivising teachers to strive to learn te reo Māori with increased renumeration for language proficiency. The Māori Party will: Require a minimum of 25% of the education budget is directed to Māori models of delivery and pastoral care to ensure our tamariki Ensure that te reo Māori and Māori history are core curriculum subjects in primary up to Year 10 at secondary schools Establish an independent Māori Standards Authority to oversee Māori language funding and audit providers to ensure they meet cultural and reo Māori competency standards Permanently increase funding for the Te Kotahitanga programme and other programmes that work to address racism and inequity Require schools to work with mana whenua to implement place-based learning and teaching of local histories and kaupapa Ensure all primary schools will be required by 2023 to incorporate te reo Māori into 15% of their curriculum, with the view to increasing this percentage to 25% by 2026 and 50% by 2030 Ensure that primary school teacher registration will be contingent upon meeting a basic competency level of te reo Māori and remunerate primary and secondary school teachers according to te reo Māori competency standards Supporting Māori students and staff in mainstream education The Māori Party will tackle inequity, racism and the digital divide in our education system head on. Schools must be required to take their responsibilities to Māori students seriously. That’s why the Māori Party would ensure that there are Māori staff in every school’s senior leadership team, that all staff and board of trustee members are required to undertake periodic training in kaupapa Māori education and Te Tiriti issues, and that they develop relationships with mana whenua. We would also remove the ability for schools to expel students who are below the school leaving age of 16. Māori students make up 50% of students who are excluded for school, while 55% of the exclusions for drug use were Māori. Students with behavioural issues need wrap around support, and those who are using drugs need health interventions. Excluding children from school does irreparable harm - 51 per cent of all prisoners were kicked out of their schools as children. The education system must be responsive to the needs of all students, not throw up its hands and leave young people to fend for themselves. As we confront the COVID-19 pandemic, we now have an unique opportunity to tackle digital divide head on, and ensure that all tamariki Māori have access to the life opportunities that young people harness from technology and the digital world. An important part of this challenge that the Māori Party is committed to is funding quality digital learning devices and internet access for all students that need them. Māori staff in mainstream schools are doing everything they can to support tamariki Māori to achieve their potential, but they have had to fight every day and go above and beyond what anyone should be expected to. Too often te reo Māori teachers and other teachers are expected to, or choose to, undertake many cultural programmes to support Māori students such as kapa haka, taiaha, raranga and waka ama. They often also run school-based marae and after-hours support for students. Our teachers need to be supported by being paid properly, and with additional staff, to undertake and expand these programmes which often give tamariki Māori their only avenue to be who they are while at school. The Māori Party will: Require that all schools have Māori in their staff senior leadership teams Require that all schools seek to develop formal relationships with mana whenua Remove the power of schools to expel any student younger than the school leaving age of 16 Require Boards of Trustees and senior staff leadership teams to undertake training in kaupapa Māori education and Te Tiriti issues Fund schools to hire additional Māori support staff who are well-paid and centrally funded Fund free breakfast and lunch programmes in all low-decile primary and intermediate schools Fund free digital devices for all children from Yr 4 – Yr 13, and free internet via Schools N4L system Ensure that Māori staff are hired, and existing Māori staff paid extra, to lead cultural programmes such as kapa haka, taiaha, raranga and running school-based marae Establish a fund worth $20m for teachers develop their reo and a $10m fund for increased development of te reo Māori resources Disability, neurodiversity and learning differences Māori are disproportionately affected by disability, neurodiversity and learning differences. In 2013, 26% of Māori identified as disabled. The education system has completely failed to support tamariki who learn differently and have extra accessibility. Four in ten disabled Māori adults had no formal educational qualifications – almost double the proportion of non-disabled Māori. We know that there needs to be greater resource for funding support teachers and appropriate facilities and ensuring professional development for educators. A recent select committee inquiry into these issues resulted in recommendations, most of which have not been properly implemented by Government. That inquiry also did not properly consider the position of Māori students. We would establish a Māori-led taskforce with the mandate to transform how Māori students with neurodiversity and learning differences are taught and supported. The Māori Party will: Establish a Māori-led taskforce with the mandate to transform how Māori students with disabilities and learning differences are taught and supported Creating pathways for school leavers For young people leaving school and not going on to tertiary education, there are too few pathways into well-paid employment. Tertiary education is by no means the only avenue into continued learning and success, but our education and training policy settings act as though it is. In June 2020, 35,000 (13.5 per cent) of rangatahi Māori (between the ages of 15 and 24) were not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET). This is nearly twice the rate recorded for European and Asian youth, and significantly greater than the national rate of 11.6%. Central and local government needs to play a much more active role in the direct creation of jobs, particularly when it comes to reducing Māori unemployment. Māori overrepresentation in unemployment, particularly among young Māori, has remained a constant feature of Aotearoa’s job market. The current Government’s Mana in Mahi programme is an employer subsidy scheme targeting Māori men. This is not doing enough to get our people into jobs, and it does not even guarantee a living wage or fulltime hours, thereby contributing to the problem of an overly precarious job market. We will establish a 276 million dollar fund to ramp up the work of STEM and STEAM academies, such as the Pūhoro STEM Academy, across the country to ensure our rangatahi are caught and supported before they drop out of secondary school to transition into tertiary education and on to employment in high value jobs and careers. The Māori Party will put a major focus on increasing placements in apprenticeships, training schemes, and cadetships. We will develop advanced apprenticeships schemes in the renewable energy, agriculture, construction, digital, and engineering sectors for people wanting to upskill or retrain in another industry. This policy works alongside our economic and environmental plans which also have specific policies aimed at job creation. For example, we will support and fund hapū and iwi-led initiatives that support job creation, particularly in conservation and clean energy. The Māori Party will: Establish a $276m fund to ramp up the work of STEM and STEAM academies, such as the Pūhoro STEM Academy Double the existing Māori and Pacific trade training and cadetships placements per annum Permanently remove fees from apprenticeships Create more pre-degree pathways for Māori and Pacific students who have not achieved entrance requirements to undertake tertiary education Develop advanced apprenticeships schemes in the renewable energy, agriculture, digital, construction, and engineering sectors Fund hapū and iwi-led initiatives that support youth employment, particularly in conservation and clean energy