Gaps policy nothing new says ministry

The Government inherited its Closing the Gaps policy from the National Party, says the head of Te Puni Kokiri, Ngatata Love.

The National-led Opposition has repeatedly attacked the policy, labelling it unfair and divisive.

Dr Love, chief executive of the Maori Development Ministry, told Parliament's Maori affairs select committee yesterday that closing the gaps was a key goal of National when it was in power.

"It's not something that has come out of one side or the other. What this Government has done is taken it a step further and built on it to enable it to be more effective."



Dr Love expressed disappointment that all parties were not supporting the strategy, saying a bipartisan approach would be more helpful.

But he recognised that it was the Opposition's role to criticise Government policy.

Dr Love said it disturbed him deeply that much of the discussion in the media about Closing the Gaps had taken on racial overtones.

"This is absolutely disappointing because it's not a race issue."

The Government has earmarked $243 million over four years for initiatives targeted at helping disadvantaged Maori and Pacific Islanders.

Dr Love disputed an Audit Office report that said the ministry had no plans to monitor the effectiveness of some of the money it spent on the policy.

"Far from being a loose approach that I think is being suggested, Closing the Gaps ... will be the most assessed strategy of almost any that's occurring in the past or the present."

All Government departments were required to detail in their annual reports how they had contributed to Closing the Gaps.

He said departments had to set ambitious but realistic goals, "and we need to work collectively to encourage them to do it."

The ministry also rejected claims from Opposition committee members that "unequal treatment" was being mandated by the inclusion of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation.

Te Puni Kokiri treaty compliance branch manager John Tamahori said such clauses did not give more favourable treatment to Maori.

"The experience both Governments have had on the treaty is that the treaty does not give individual rights.

"Yet people prefer to see the [treaty's] incorporation in the Health and Disability Act as somehow giving individual Maori who might have a crook foot the opportunity to have an operation before someone else.

"There's no way the treaty can give that," he said.

"It just doesn't do it."

- NZPA