Associate Minister of Education Heather Roy has ignored a plea to include the voice of Pacific consumers in the special education review.

Labour’s Mangere MP Su’a William Sio contacted Heather Roy to meet with Sir Keith Park School in Mangere as part of the Government’s review of special education.

“Sir Keith Park School is a special education and resource centre in my electorate that offers a complete range of services for special needs students,” says Su’a William Sio.

“Many of the families accessing the school have English as a second language and there are communication barriers to accessing the review online and completing a submission.

 ”That is a real shame that the Minister has ignored my request for education officials to seek out the views of a significant population affected by special education, who cannot access the document online or understand the language terminology,” said Su’a William Sio.

 ”The Review process works for those articulate, able and familiar with writing submissions, and dealing with government in this way. But how many of our Maori and Pacific people deal with this government in this way?

“And add to that the stresses of a family dealing with a special needs situation which is why I stressed in my letter to Minister Heather Roy that without the targeted engagement of families and children involved in special education in the Mangere electorate in Manukau City, this Review will miss out on their experiences.

“To quote from the government Review document: “The aim of the review is to ensure that policies and processes are fair, consistent, reach those most in need, make the best use of government funding, and that parents have choices.’”

 ”By ignoring my request that the Review include the views of parents and families attending Sir Keith Park School in Mangere, Minister Heather Roy has just confirmed that this Government doesn’t take the aims of its own reviews seriously.

 

Greetings and my acknowledgements to everyone present.

I am privileged this morning to share my reflections with you on ANZAC Day.

Each year Australia and New Zealand celebrate ANZAC Day as the two nations’ Memorial Day for their citizens who died in the two World Wars & in the series of smaller conflicts each nation took part in.

April 25th is the date that the Australian & New Zealand Army Corps landed at Gallipoli, in Turkey.

I understand that this was the first time that the two nations’ troops went into combat as distinct national forces.

Commemorations of the landing began in 1916, and after WWI NZ (like Australia) established ANZAC Day as the National Day of commemoration for all our war dead in the Great War.

With the onset of World War II, ANZAC Day was expanded to cover all servicemen and women who died in the service of their nation.

So it is today, ANZAC Day commemorations include those who died in South East Asia, Korea and on peacekeeping missions since the 2nd World War.

I am one of many in my generation, born after the two great wars, that has very little experience, if any, on the subject of war.

I have never been involved in armed conflict. I know people who have. But the closest I have ever been to war has been playing video games and watching the movie Saving Private Ryan.

The closest I have ever come to a war-zone is visiting relatives in Los Angeles or accompanying our police patrols some years ago.

I can only imagine what it must have been like and even then I’m sure my imagination and the reality of war are not the same thing.

Consider a quote from a reproduced newspaper report of general events of the battle of Gallipoli,

“What could convey to the reader, who was not there, the terrible agony of a bullet in the stomach, of being blown to bits, bayoneted, drowned, suffocated, or buried alive, of lying badly wounded under the hot sun in no-mans land, alone & beyond hope or the help & comfort of comrades, dying of typhoid, blood poisoning, gangrene, meningitis, dysentery, or pneumonia? Or of seeing these things happen to friends around you.”

Despite the graphic description of what actually happened to many soldiers on the field of battle, I suspect it is still very difficult for many of us to fully comprehend the depth of horror and the tragedy of war.

I have found attending these ANZAC commemoration services in New Zealand, Australia and throughout the South Pacific islands, that I have begun to gain a greater understanding of what it must have been like. For me, ANZAC has become a day of humility and a day of gratitude.

This being Sunday, the Bible tells us that the greatest love of all is when a person is prepared to lay down his or her life to save the lives of others. Last week, many of us celebrated Easter, and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ teaches us the act of agape, of charity or Godly love, when he gave his life for the world.

The Servicemen and women whose lives we honour today in my view also committed an act of love.

They died not only for their families and friends, but they also died for total strangers. Generations of strangers yet unborn during their time. Strangers like me. Generations like yours and mine.

They died in their efforts to safeguard certain ideals and values. The ANZAC soldiers paid the ultimate price for believing in ideals such as freedom, courage, honour, sacrifice, law & order, peace and prosperity for all.

We know this because the men & women of the ANZAC era, lived during a time of chivalrous ideals.

They lived in a time of duty above all else, of duty to god, for country, for family and community.

They lived in a time of right and wrong as clear as black & white.

Some of us might say that these beliefs belong to a bygone age.

But these ideals and values have formed the foundation of democratic societies all over.

These ideals and principles are accepted as truths by millions of people throughout the world. And like all truths, they remain the same today, as they were in yesteryear.

I congratulate the young people who are in attendance this morning.

Thank you for being here. I believe your presence today brings honour to this occasion. It reaffirms to both the living and the dead that the sacrifice and service of the ANZAC soldiers was not in vain.

I want to say to you and to those like myself who are learning about ANZAC Day.

Our ANZAC commemoration service today is to honour and respect the memory of the lives and service of men and women who died for their country & community.

For those of us who do not have a close or direct connection to the service men & women of these past wars, we should consider ourselves very fortunate.

We have been spared the pain of losing a loved one or losing many loved ones.

We have been spared the anguish of not having to sit and wait for a telegram that would deliver the dreaded news of “killed in action”.

We have been spared the horror of nightmares that come from never knowing when someone is “missing in action” or never seeing the gravesites of family members on the other side of the world.

I imagine the men and women of the ANZACs belonged to families and communities no different from ours today. They were sons, brothers, and fathers, or daughters, sisters, mothers, and spouses.

We remember them and their death not because there is glory in dying

But because there is glory in their belief in sacrifice for others and for a better world.

There is no glory in war and we do not, and should not, glorify war in our services.

We glorify the belief in duty, honour, sacrifice, protecting our loved ones, and service to ones country and community.

We glorify the honour of service to our fellow human beings, irrespective of their race, colour, culture or religion.

I think if we are to honour the ANZACs of the great wars, we must challenge ourselves to find ways of serving our country and communities today.

I’m not suggesting that you join the army today and leave your loved ones, albeit it is a honourable career pathway.

I am simply saying that we should consider and look around at our present environment, our home, our streets, our town centres, and our local schools.

There are many local issues and there is so much need, and so much work that has to be done.

What service can we provide that can add value to our community?

I believe we should renew our personal commitment to the principles and ideals that the ANZAC soldiers died for. For freedom, for service, for sacrifice, for duty, for mercy, for charity, for God and for Honour.

This is what ANZAC Day means to me.

I want to pay my personal tribute to the ANZACS soldiers of old.

In the Samoan culture, when someone of significance passes away, the orators and young men perform a ritual called, “Tatala le Lagi”. Tatala le Lagi, literally means to Open the Heavens. It is a chant or call on the Heavens to Open their doors for the dead. It acknowledges the dead as living in another environment.

It is a ritual of respect for the dead and honouring their time on earth. It is also a ritual that acknowledges the eternity of life, that the dead are with us.

It is a call to remember those who have died.

Tulouna le lagi

Tulouna le taape o papa

Tulouna le lagi

Tulouna le gasetoto o le la

Tulouna le lagi

Tulouna le tafea o le tauofe

Tulouna le lagi

Tulouna le to o le timu

Tulouna le lagi

It is my prayer that we and our children will live lives worthy of the sacrifice made by the servicemen & women of the ANZACS.

It is my hope that we do not forget their ideals and values.

I thank all the servicemen & women who are with us this morning including our police.

I also want to acknowledge that this is the last time that we will hold our services under the banner of Manukau City Council. I therefore want to acknowledge all Mangere councillors and community board members, both past and present, who over the years have contributed to our local community.

I thank Rev Les Dixon and his team of organisers who continue to bring us together so we can collectively celebrate as a community ANZAC Day and what it means for us.

Thank you all. Ia soifua ma ia manuia. Kia ora tatou katoa.

Last week the Government announced its Whanau Ora programme.  Labour like everyone else is waiting for some details.  At the moment confusion is rife. Mrs Turia and John Key are at odds over who the Whanau Ora is for, where the money for it will come from, how much money is involved, and how it will be delivered.  Hopefully, we will receive this detail when the Government announces its Budget next month.

Just before Easter, the Government introduced a bill that targets beneficiaries.  The bill will work test those on the unemployment, sickness, or solo parent benefits.  Never mind the fact that many on these benefits and can’t find work.  Never mind that those on the sickness benefits are really sick.  Never mind that solo mothers have children that need looking after and few employers are flexible enough to provide jobs between 9.30am to 2.30pm when the children are at school. 

The government will demand from beneficiaries that they find work.  If beneficiaries do not meet the work test criteria, they could have their benefits cut to 50% and then have it cut for good.  People will need to reapply for it every 12 months. 

Women have said to me this bill stigmatizes all beneficiaries as bludgers.  It demonises solo mothers and their children.  This is wrong. It is politics of the worse kind. A good government should aim to encourage and inspire its citizens.  Not condemn the weak, or cause people to fight over scraps like a pack of wild dogs.

Where are the jobs for the people then?  Why is it that this Government is sitting on its hands and allowing the unemployment numbers to rise.  There were 168,000 unemployed people in New Zealand as at December 2009, and those numbers are expected to rise more.  Why is it that the rest of the world is experiencing an economic recovery and many ordinary families throughout New Zealand have still not experienced the benefits from the economic recovery as other nations have? 

The Austrlian economy has seen nearly 20,000 jobs created last month.  That’s the 7^th straight month of rises in full time employment in Australia and that strength has seen an amazing 215,000 jobs created in the last six months.

In contrast, New Zealand is falling behind.  So what is the difference between our two countries? Australians have a Government that was proactive in tackling the recession. It’s also a Labour government whose priority is people.  That’s the big difference – people and whether the Government cares enough about the general population and whether they are prepared to uplift them with skills development and create jobs that pay well. The Australian Government put in place a bold and effective stimulus package, made a real commitment to skills training and education, and developed a plan to make Research and Development a vital part of their recovery. John Key’s Government has sat on the sidelines, offered up the rhetoric of the Jobs Summit, a talkfest, and promised that cycle-ways would solve the problem, but has failed to deliver.

Because it has failed to deliver jobs for kiwis, National now wants New Zealanders struggling to make ends meet to turn on itself, to turn on beneficiaries first.  Beneficiaries are an easy target.   

Nearly half way through its term in office and there is still no real plan by National to deal with unemployment (except to put the boot into beneficiaries). Instead of a plan for jobs, next month’s budget is focusing on rejigging the tax system.

There will be an increase in GST that no one voted for. During the election campaign Mr Key was specifically asked if National would increase GST.  He clearly and specifically said National wouldn’t.  Now John Key is calling the increase in GST National’s “tax switch”.  The term implies shuffling money around, giving with the left hand, and taking with the other.  The only certainty in the Government’s tax rejigging is you pay more for just about everything you buy because of the increase in GST.

The cost of your bread, milk, groceries, power and clothing will all go up.  So too will petrol, your rates, your insurance premiums and your ACC levies.

With GST going up to fifteen percent there will be twenty percent more tax on everything you buy.

The Government says it will compensate superannuitants for the increase in GST.  Many retired people are hoping this commitment will protect them.  I don’t believe it will.  Mr Key’s compensation for the GST hike will disappear from your back pockets while the higher prices you are paying won’t.

Superannuitants will be paying higher prices long after the compensation from Mr Key is gone.

What’s really going on is a tax switch from superannuitants and other fixed income groups to the very highest paid.

If most of the tax shuffle goes to the top income earners, it can’t go to everyone else.  So if hard-working, middle and low-income earners get small change, the biggest tax cuts will go to the top.

Tax cuts should make it easier for more kiwis to get ahead.  But National’s tax plan gives most of the tax cuts to those already far ahead.

That’s why Labour is saying axe the GST tax rise.

This Government needs to own up that it has failed to create jobs, it has failed to secure workers the benefits of the economic recovery.

Our communities deserve to be inspired with education, workplace skills development, research and innovation and high paid jobs.  A good government for the people would focus on these things for the many. It’s a real shame that this Government - is National through and through and focuses on the few.

Ends.

Ua tatala nei le avanoa i soo se sui totogi lafoga a le Leipa mo le sailiga o sui tamomoe mo le Leipa e tauva mo tofi fou o le Super City i Aukilani.  O le aso Toonai, le aso 17 o Aperila o lea faatino ai se polokalame aoga i Magele mo le faatalanoaina o tiute tauave a ia tofi fou.  Ua uma ona tasi komiti eseese a le Leipa i Aukilani e lagolagoina ma galulue e fesoasoani i le campaign a Len Brown e avea ma Pulenuu o le Super City fou. 

Ua tasi foi le Leipa o le a iai sui tauva e tamomoe mo tofi e 2 ‘councillors’ mo Manukau, faapea tofi e 7 mo le ‘local board mo Otara ma Papatoetoe, ma tofi foi e 7 mo le ‘local board’ mo Magele ma Otahuhu lava.  O le a matou faaaogaina lava le igoa o le Leipa mo le silafia ma le manino o tagata lautele o sui tauva a le Leipa i Magele, Otahuhu, Otara ma Papatoetoe.

O loo faaauau pea talanoaga mo le igoa o le tagavai e faaaoga I Manurewa, Papakura ma isi aai.

O sui tauva uma a le Leipa o le a tamomoe mo nofoa i Aukilani o le a iloa latou i le igoa o le ‘City Vision’ aua o le tagavai lea o le a latou faaaogaina i faiga faatosina.

Ao sui tauva a le Leipa o le a tauva mo nofoa i le itumalo o Waitakere o le a iloa latou i le latou faaaogaina o le igoa o le “Future West”.

Ua manino foi o le vaega a le ‘C & R’, o le vaega lava lea a le National ma le ACT, ma o le a faapena foi ona iai o latou sui tamomoe mo tofi fou a le Super City. 

E sau se taimi toe faamanino atili igoa o isi vaega o le a tauva mo tofi a le Super City. 

O le faatinoga o le palota mo ia tofi, e lafo atu i pusameli pepa palota, ma e tatau ona e faatumu le pepa palota ma toe lafo ma faafoi i le Ofisa o Faigapalota ae lei maea aso faatulagaina mo lea faigapalota. 

E le tasi foi se sui e tatau ona e palotaina i lenei pepa palota.  E tatau ona e palota mo le Pulenuu, faapea sui usufono poo ‘councillors’, faapea foi ona fai lau filifiliga mo sui o ‘local boards’.  E fai faatasi foi i lea taimi faigapalota mo tofi o komiti e pulea tupe mo le matagaluega o le soifua maloloina, poo ‘district health boards’.

O loo iai le popolega talu ai le lavelave o le faiga o lea palota o le toatele tagata e le faatinoina latou palota.  O le a manaomia lava le tatou galulue faatasi ina ia sii le fuainumera o tatou tagata e auai i lenei faigapalota.  E pito i sili atu le taua o lenei faigapalota i lou lava talitonuga mo le sailiga o ni sui lelei e alolofa io tatou tagata ma se lumanai manuia o Aukilani mo ona tagata.

O le vaiaso ua te’a sa faasolo ai matou feiloaiga ma pulenuu eseese o faigamalo laiti i Aukilani aoao ma le taitai o le Leipa, le afioga Lilomaiava Phil Goff.  O le autu o ia fonotaga o le taumafai e pu’e mai finagalo o ia pulenuu faatatau i le fuafuaga a le Malo mo le Super City i Aukilani, ona toe 5 masina ona faatino loa lea o le faigapalota. 

E le gata i lea, toe tasi lava le tulafono taufaaofi a le Malo i le Palemene mo le faamautuina o le Super City ma sa matou fia malamalama i finagalo o pulenuu i ni faaletonu o loo iai lenei tulafono, ao le a foi ni suiga e tatau ona iai mo le faaleleia o lenei tulafono, pe afai e tulai mai le Leipa ma faigamalo i le tausaga 2011.

O le tele lava o pulenuu sa talitonu ose mea tatau le faavae o le Super City.  Peitai ane, talu ai le faatopelau o le faavaeina o le Super City e le Minisita o Faigamalo Laiti ma le le amanaiana o ia faigamalo laiti, ua toatele nei pulenuu ua matua le fiafia lava i le Minisita o Faigamalo laiti ma le faigamalo a le National.  O le pulenuu o Papakura o loo tetee lava i le faaleaogaina fua o Papakura ma le faamalosia o latou e avea ma aai o le Super City.

Na ataata mai foi i matou talanoaga o le toatele o pulenuu, latou te le lagolagoina le pulenuu o Auckland City Council o loo iai nei.  O le toatele e fiafia i le pulenuu o Manukau City Council. Ou te masalosalo foi o loo iai nisi pulenuu o loo mananao e tauva mo le tofi o le Super City ae lei aliali mai i luma lea naunau.

Ia tatou nofo sauni o le a pei ose taua faatosina o le faigapalota lea mo le Super City ma ou te faatusaina o le taua o mafaufauga.  E tatau ia Samoa ona maua ni o latou finagalo i lenei taua aua o latou e pulea Aukilani, e pulea lo tatou lumanai pe ose lumanai manuia, poo se lumanai pologa.

Bernadette Robertson, 16 years, YR 12 McCauley High School

When I called for interested candidates for a Youth MP for Mangere, I had 18 students indicate initial interest, 15 took the time to send through a written application and finally 10 students from six high schools participated in a selection process where a panel and the audience voted on who they thought was the best candidate to become Youth MP for Mangere during Youth Parliament on 6-7 July in Wellington.

I want to share with our community the speeches of our 10 youth who had the courage to put themselves forward to be judged by their peers and community.

All candidates were asked to speak for 3 minutes on what they saw as the priority issues for youth and what would they do to improve or change it.

Below is the speech by Bernadette Robertson, 16 years old, year 12 at McCauley High School who has given me permission to share her speech.

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“For my love of the “suburb that is the gateway to New Zealand” I will convince you here today that what I speak of in my speech represents what I feel are top priority issues for youth in Mangere.

It worries me that there are youth who would rather be wasting time on the street than gaining an valued education that many other children around the world would literally die for. Because of what I hear and see in Mangere I know, one issue that needs to be of priority and importance for the benefit of our Youth is truancy.

Auckland city has the second worst truancy rate, above the national average of 4.1%. Truancy is an issue I feel so strongly about as I value the gift of Education.

To prepare our generation for the future we must ensure that our young people stay in school! It isn’t rocket science to know that without attending school you are wasting your opportunity to develop and better yourself.

The school environment develops moral certainty and upholds cultural values, which helps towards the challenges our youth of Mangere face- alcohol, drugs, gangs and violence. Through school we build on principles, leadership, confidence and maturity and through school we learn how to stand up to the struggles of society. Education is the key to getting youth off the streets and away from boredom, which creates violence and crime. This ensures that Mangere is a safer neighbourhood.

For the improvement of school attendance and for the decrease in truancy rates, the work starts at home. Church communities and leaders of our community need to emphasise the importance of attending school and ensuring parents do not in any way encourage their children to stay home for what ever excuse. Lack of money? Look after younger or sick siblings? Or simply because there child wants a ‘day off’ and pull a sickie. If this means the government possibly fining parents to ensure truancy is not encouraged than maybe this initiative needs to be more focused and put in place. Families need to work together to guarantee that their children are not missing out on what creates success in their lives. The government needs to put in place initiatives to target those pupils in lower socio-economic areas such as Mangere to uplift and allow for talents to shine. Already currently in place we have retails who may refuse service to school children during school hours. This puts across the message to our younger children that education is important and truancy is not the easy way out of other youth problems, if any, it only builds on their problems.

Supporting the younger generation is crucial for the success of Mangere as a whole. Celebrate our successes and ensure that everyone is proud of our youth rather than submerged in shame by the negativity that is often portrayed across the media from news articles to TV shows like Police Ten7. I can’t help but emphasise that crime is not a factor of specific cultures or unique to one area. Crime is everywhere, it is just a matter of which areas, and which group are given the bad labels.

Despite this we cannot forget that there is no place quite like Mangere. We are a diverse suburb full of cultures and high achievers – let us not be discouraged that people choose to focus on stereotypical ideas of crime in our area but take pride in our community, work for our community, achieve to represent our community. By spreading these ideas, youth will stay in school and then we will have the opportunity to celebrate the future achievements of this generation. To overcome the many challenges we as a youth unit come across, I am willing to be your voice and your leader as we draw nearer and nearer to Youth parliament 2010.

Ends.