It has taken three months and the glare of Parliamentary scrutiny for the Government to finally come to the realisation that it was wrong to hand over nearly $5 million to the Pacific Economic Development Agency (PEDA) in an uncontested process, Labour’s Associate Pacific Island Affairs Su’a William Sio said today.

“From the time the fund was announced on Budget Day the Government has been on the defensive over the lack of transparency in the process,” Su’a William Sio said.

“The Government has now realised it was wrong and has opened up the fund to a contestable tender.

“National has wasted three months hopelessly trying to defend its awful decision to directly fund PEDA.

“With Pacific unemployment at 14.1 per cent Pacific communities need help now.

“This embarrassing u-turn by the Government highlights the fact that National has no plan to tackle unemployment or grow a stronger economy that gets all Kiwis back into jobs.

“National’s motivations to fund PEDA were purely politically and driven by John Key and Bill English.

“National was found out. But unfortunately for the Pacific community they are forced to wait longer for the help they desperately need.”

“I am saddened by the news today that Luamanuvao Winnie Laban will be stepping down as Member of Parliament for Mana,” Mangere MP Su’a William Sio said.

“Winnie has been a shining star and tireless advocate for the Pasefika community.

“The Pacific community fondly remembers Winnie entering Parliament in 1999 as the first woman Pacific Island MP and then going on to become the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs in 2005. In all her roles she has worked incredibly hard to improve the social and economic wellbeing of the Pacific community in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

“I know the Pacific community, her electorate of Mana and her Labour Party colleagues will sorely miss her, but wish her all the very best in her new role as Assistant Vice Chancellor Pasifika at Victoria University.

“Winnie should be congratulated on her new role and will be a great addition to the staff at Victoria University,” Su’a William Sio said.

The silence from Minister Georgina te Heuheu on whether or not a purchase agreement has been signed with the Pacific Economic Development Agency is deafening, says Labour’s Associate Pacific spokesperson Su’a William Sio.

“In late May I asked the Minister in a written parliamentary question when a contract would be signed. More than a month later she responded she was ‘expecting that the purchase agreement will be ready for the new financial year (1 July 2010)’,” Su’a William Sio said.

“When I asked Minister te Heuheu in Parliament on 1^{st July if the purchase agreement was ready and finalised we were again told it was not signed.}

“This just continues the shonky process the Government has followed since it announced the uncontested funding on Budget day.”

Su’a William Sio said he understood at least two of the five programmes proposed in PEDA’s application for funding to Finance Minister Bill English have already been dropped, and others may follow. 

 ”I also understand that PEDA was incapable of providing a business proposal for the programmes, which further confirms that this whole process has been back to front.”

“And this could well be the reason why there has been no announcement of a purchase order being signed,” Su’a William Sio said.

“Auckland’s Pacific community is distrustful of this deal and has every right to be suspicious.

“The PEDA deal is a shambles, and the constant delays, lack of action and information about the progress of an agreement is evidence of that.”

The Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs must listen to the overwhelming voice of Auckland’s Pacific communities and allow them to elect their own representatives to the Super City’s Pacific Advisory Board, Labour MP for Mangere Sua William Sio said today.

“To ensure the real needs of Auckland’s Pacific community are taken into account in the decision making process, Pacific people must have a say in who represents them,” Sua William Sio said.

“It should be the role of the Mayor and the Auckland Council to support, sponsor and provide resources for the Board to conduct its new roles and functions, rather than the Mayor appointing this Board.

“With the MPIA seeking input from the Pacific community on how the advisory board will be chosen, now is the time for Pacific people to speak up.”

“I sat on the Auckland Governance Legislative select committee and heard the vast majority of Pacific submitters advocating to maintain their right to elect their own Pacific representatives on the panel, as is the current practice on the four Pacific advisory boards in Manukau, Waitakere, Auckland City and North Shore.”

Su’a William Sio said he has major concerns around the proposal of one group that was seen as self appointed by the Pacific community and who demanded they be appointed to the advisory panel, without going through a consultative process.

“The Auckland Pacific Forum, which has close links to the Pacific Economic Development Agency (PEDA) and is led by the Pacific Island Chamber of Commerce, has lobbied that it be chosen to represent Pacific people,” Sua William Sio said.

“I strongly oppose any such move. It would not be representative of the Pacific community at large. The well established democratic process working in Manukau, Waitakere, the North Shore and Auckland to choose Pacific community reps has served those cities well over many years.

“No system is perfect but these established processes have enabled the Pacific communities in Manukau & Waitakere to make significant contributions and latterly also in North Shore and Auckland City

“Labour will fight any move that would strip the right of Pacific communities to choose their representatives that advise civic leaders.”

The Government is talking out both sides of its mouth over $5 million dollars of taxpayer money awarded in this year’s Budget, Labour’s Associate Pacific Island Affairs spokesperson Su’a William Sio said today.

“Today Finance Minister Bill English told media that officials were working to see whether the Pacific Economic Development Agency Limited (PEDA) ‘can actually deliver on the program’ it proposed to get the funding,” Su’a William Sio said.

“But interestingly yesterday and for some weeks now Pacific Island Affairs Minister Georgina te Heuheu said PEDA ‘have certain skill sets that we deem to be critical… they have networks, they have business connections, business skills’.

“The Government has already allocated this money to PEDA in the Budget. The deal has been done. So why are officials now looking into whether the little known or tested organisation can come up with the goods?

“The Pacific Island Affairs Minister has said repeatedly that the Government was already convinced about the abilities of PEDA.

“This whole saga smells and could have been avoided if there had been an open and transparent tender process where the plethora of organisations that provide help to Pacific communities could have taken part.

“Mr English has misjudged the level of anger in the Pacific community. Many Pasifika organisations believe PEDA has been given special treatment and on the evidence before them they have reason to be concerned.”

Bill English today confirmed that on the strength of what can only be described as a flimsy 6 page proposal he was happy to hand over nearly $5 million dollars of taxpayer money, Su’a William Sio said today.

“For weeks I have been asking the Government to come clean over the funding given to the Pacific Economic Development Agency Limited (PEDA) in May’s Budget,” Su’a William Sio said.

“Now I know why Pacific Island Affairs Minister Georgina te Heuheu has been so evasive, uninformed and confused whenever I have asked her questions in Parliament. It’s because Deputy Prime Minister Bill English has been driving the deal through.

“Mr English needs to explain why, when he is demanding line-by-line reviews of Government spending, he is prepared to give PEDA nearly $5 million based on a proposal that would draw suspicion from loan sharks.

“Bill English needs to tell Kiwis why this process was so shoddy and why other organisations did not have an equal opportunity to bid for this funding in an open tender process.

“The Deputy PM also needs to make it clear who he has met with to discuss the PEDA proposal and when.

“PEDA is a virtually unknown organisation in the Pacific community in Auckland. I have real concerns whether it can deliver what it has promised to communities.

Pacific Island Affairs Minister Georgina te Heu Heu continued her farcical defence of the Government’s dodgy processed around the awarding of $4.8 million dollars in this year’s Budget, Labour’s Associate Pacific Island Affairs spokesman Su’a William Sio said today.

“The Minister told Parliament today that the Pacific Economic Development Agency (PEDA) has not been awarded funding in the Budget. That is at complete odds with a press release she issued a month ago,” Su’a William Sio said.

“It’s hard to make sense of any of the responses to questions that are being put to Georgina te Heu Heu around the lack of transparency around the PEDA funding.

“We have asked her numerous questions in Parliament – which she continues to fail to answer. We even put the same questions to her in written form – still no answers.

“It is becoming more and more obvious that the Minister has something to hide.

“Our questions are basic – who represented PEDA in its negotiations with the Government? Why does she not know who she has just handed almost $5 million to?
If it wasn’t her than which Minister actually dealt with negotiations with PEDA?”

“These are reasonable questions that a Minister who has a strong grip on their portfolio would be able to answer.”

The inept answers from the Pacific Island Affairs Minister in Parliament today raises the question of who was really behind her Ministry awarding nearly $4.8 million dollars to a private firm in this year’s Budget, Labour MP for Mangere Su’a William Sio said.

“Georgina te Heu Heu has continued her strategy of dodging the most basic questions around the funding given to the Pacific Economic Development Agency (PEDA),” Su’a William Sio said.

“It is curious that the Minister did not know who represented PEDA in its negotiations with the Government. Why does she not know who she has just handed $5 million to?

“And if she genuinely doesn’t, which Minister actually dealt with negotiations with PEDA?”

Su’a William Sio said Georgina te Heu Heu has also confirmed Labour’s fears that the funding was awarded to PEDA without an open bidding process.

“With a straight face, Georgina te Heu Heu admitted there was no contestable process for the funding,” Su’a William Sio said.

“She also admitted that the money has already been committed despite many vital parts of the agreement with PEDA still not finalised. The process followed in this instance seems back to front.

“Ask any Kiwi whether they’d hand over $4.8 million before they knew what they were buying and you’ll only get one answer.

“Despite the repeated questioning of Georgina te Heu Heu, there are still plenty of unanswered questions around the PEDA funding.

“If she won’t answer or doesn’t know, taxpayers deserve to know who was really pulling the strings behind the scenes,” Su’a William Sio.

O Talaleomalie o le Alo o le Tui Atua, aua ua ii le Manu ae logo i le vateatea, aua le vaiaso Faapitoa o le Gagana Samoa.

(Joy & Glad Tidings is the name of the daughter of Paramount Chief Tui Atua, as a single bird’s call in the silent forest reaches the unknown spaces of heaven, because this is a special week for Samoan Language) 

Labour MP Su’a William Sio used the above allegories to convey the depth of emotion when he moved his motion seeking support from Parliament to support Samoan Language Week.

MP for Mangere, Su’a William Sio is delighted to announce that Parliament was unanimous in supporting his motion today when he sought from all political parties to join with Labour to acknowledge Samoan Language Week in Parliament from June 1-3 by using Samoan words and phrases

“I am pleased that MPs across the political spectrum have decided to support Samoan Language Week, which acknowledges the importance of the Samoan language and culture in our community.

“New Zealand has a special bond with the Samoan people and their culture and it’s fantastic to see all political parties recognising this, by agreeing to support Samoan Language Week,” said Su’a William Sio.

“Samoan Language Week officially runs from Sunday 30 May to Saturday 5 June, which also coincides with Samoan Independence Day which is held on the first of June.  The Samoan language is the third most spoken after Maori and second after English in South Auckland.

“The approval of Parliament of this motion was significant because today was also the 1^st of June and the 48^th year of Samoa becoming the first Pacific island nation to become independent in 1962.

“It seems the stars are aligning for Samoa Language Week because last week Samoa’s 7^th Rugby team became the world champions in the IRB World Sevens competition, beating out New Zealand, Australia and Fiji.

In his motion, Su’a William Sio said, by Parliament endorsing his motion, we “encourage greater understanding of the Samoan language and culture, and therefore send a strong message that New Zealanders at the highest level of decision-making embrace diversity of language as a strength of our nation going forward.

I look forward to listening to MPs across the debating chamber speak a few words in Parliament next which and am sure this will be quite special for those in the Samoan community watching the debates, said Su’a William Sio.

The Minister of Pacific Island Affairs Georgina te Heu Heu has continued to evade key questions around millions of taxpayer dollars awarded by her Ministry in this year’s Budget, Labour MP for Mangere Su’a William Sio said today.

“Despite questions being raised since the release of the Budget, the Pacific community is none the wiser about how the Pacific Economic Development Agency Limited(PEDA) was awarded $4.8 million to provide social services in Auckland,” Su’a William Sio said.

“The only justification of any substance from the Minister was a comment to Pacific media that the Government wanted to ‘back winners’.

“If that is the case why has nearly $5 million dollars of taxpayer money from the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs budget been given to a private company with little or no track record, and without a transparent tender process?

“My most recent attempts to get answers from Georgina te Heu Heu have been met with more evasion. Written Parliamentary questions I have asked the Minister have all come back with this response;

“While that response may satisfy Parliament’s rules, it will not satisfy those in the Pacific community who want to know if the process followed was fair to all.

“It is clear Georgina te Heu Heu believes funding PEDA to the tune of nearly $5 million dollars of taxpayer money is value for money.

“She should now front up and tell taxpayers what they will get in return, who represented PEDA in negotiations, how the spending will be monitored, and why other organisations weren’t told the funding was available.”