Point of Order: Maori caucus – by the looks of things....

.....has had a say in who should benefit from $15m of cyclone relief funding

Point of Order hasn’t kept count of the millions of dollars the Government has been pouring into cyclone-devastated communities in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

But we don’t recall the several announcements suggesting there might be a discriminatory element to the way the beneficiaries would be determined. If there was a need for help, then that’s where the money would go, although – fair enough – funding for farmers would probably go to farmers, and funding for horticulturalists would go to horticulturalists. And so on.

The assistance announced today, on the other hand, reminds us that the Maori Caucus still carries a lot of clout within the Government despite the change of leadership and signs given by the new prime minister that he would be easing back on politically ticklish issues such as co-governance.

And the Maori caucus unabashedly sees things through an ethnocentric lens, especially when public funding is up for grabs.

Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson and Minister for Whānau Ora Hon Peeni Henare announced a new funding package while meeting with whānau at Waipatu Marae in Hastings today.

Minister of Te Arawhiti: Māori-Crown Relations, Kelvin Davis, has added his name to the press release which says –

Recovery package launched to accelerate Māori response to Cyclone Gabrielle

The Government has launched a $15 million short-term relief package to support Māori communities devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle and help accelerate their recovery.

Other fresh announcements posted on the Beehive advise –

Immigration pathway for Ukrainians extended

One year since Russia launched its illegal war against Ukraine, the Government is expanding the 2022 Special Ukraine Visa to further support those impacted by the war Immigration Minister Michael Wood has announced.

Davis to attend First Peoples conference in Australia

Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti Kelvin Davis will give the keynote opening address at the 2023 Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) First Peoples conference in Brisbane tomorrow.

Strengthened protections and improved processes for partners of migrant workers

New changes to partner work rights, and an expansion of the Victims of Family Violence work visa, will strengthen protections and improve processes for partners of migrants who have come to New Zealand for work.

The $15 million short-term relief package to support Māori communities will support a range of efforts including staffing for marae to undertake response and recovery activities, purchase equipment needed for the clean-up, purchase of replacement equipment and storage for food and taonga and support planning and co-ordination efforts.

• $9 million will be distributed through Te Puni Kōkiri, an agency that is able to leverage its experience and relationships to support response efforts in Māori communities.
• $3 million will be distributed through Whānau Ora to fund Commissioning Agencies to manage and coordinate responses, to augment and deploy resources to impacted regions.
• $3 million will be distributed through Te Arawhiti to support direct iwi partnerships and relationship activities, strategic leadership and coordination.

The press statement reminds us of the other supports the Government has announced including:

• Over $50 million in Civil Defence payments to help affected whānau with food, bedding, clothing and temporary accommodation, available through Work and Income.
• $25 million for farmer and grower recovery funding that will assist whenua Māori owners and other farmers undertake urgent work such as fencing, clearing silt and repairing water infrastructure for livestock, available through MPI, and
• $11 million community support packages to help supplement the existing work of community groups and social sector providers of food and other services to whānau, available through MSD.

Further details on how funds will be distributed will be available on the Te Puni Kōkiri and Te Arawhiti website.

Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton