MAORI ISSUES: Coalition promises honoured

The four Maori commissions established by the Minister of Maori Affairs, Tau Henare, stamped their mark on the Budget, extracting an extra $34 million for Maori economic status and education.

Following up promises made when New Zealand First formed a coalition with National, Mr Henare unveiled plans that could have instant impact.

A new Maori industry-based training programme, aimed at helping more Maori into industry training and higher qualifications, is to be piloted in two areas over the next two years.

Four hundred unemployed Maori will be placed into permanent jobs using a wage subsidy, and the costs of the employment and training contracts will be shared between the Government, Maori organisations and employers.

Other initiatives include:

* An extra $6.5 million over three years to be spent on developing Maori language and teaching resources.

* An extra $8.11 million over the next three years for a Maori language strategy that would develop a Maori-only dictionary, promote Maori language and produce tools to measure the Maori-language skills of public servants.

* $3.4 million over three years for a targeted assistance programme to low-income Maori families.

* An extra $8.2 million over three years to encourage the productive use of land and help business development.

* A new health programme, with home visiting to 30 per cent of Maori and schemes to improve Maori dental and mental health.

* $13 million for a Maori education media strategy.

The total package for Maori is worth $57 million over three years, but $23 million of that is redirected funding from existing spending or from the 1999 education package. - Richard Knight