Do extra benefits for Maori benefit Maori? Some think assistance is necessary to get Maori on par with Pakeha regarding living standards. But I would argue that enforcing the belief that Maori are victims and giving them extra privileges to address this, only makes their situation worse by making them dependent instead of independent.
To get out of poverty, one needs to work. To get work, one needs to actively seek it and train, innovate, invent, or generally be passionate about a career or job of some kind. Giving hand outs doesn’t encourage this, because it gives a soft option where the more you moan, the more you get. This is not how people get ahead in society.
Remember that every handout given, comes from working New Zealanders in the form of tax. The government can only give what it takes from others. What New Zealand needs is that all or as many as possible become productive citizens contributing to the country as a whole. This is the only way New Zealand will move ahead with the added benefit of giving each person independence and a sense of pride.
Think of it like this. If 10 people in a waka are all paddling, then the waka can go fast and far. If nine out of the ten people are paddling, then it can still go pretty fast. You can even move pretty fast with eight people paddling. But when the number starts to go lower, the amount of productivity falls proportionally because it is not only less people paddling, but they are carrying the same weight, not less weight. When the number is low enough, it is then that those who are paddling start to wonder why they are doing all the hard work and getting less benefit for their effort. When they see jobs for paddlers in Australia offering more money many jump ship.
So I would argue that getting this waka to go fast and smooth requires that we all chip in to the best of our ability and if we don’t have a paddle then make it your mission to get one. By encouraging people to sit in the waka and get a free ride is not helping them and is letting the whole waka down.
Maori in Australia do well for a number of reasons. This is in due part to having no special benefits, meaning they are forced to paddle to stay afloat. Having to work to survive rather than relying on softer options brings the best out in people. Of course I am not saying we do away with benefits, as we all need that help from time to time, rather we need to discourage handouts and benefits as an optional lifestyle for people. This should never become part of one’s culture.
In 2004, the ACT Party released a study that showed Maori received $7-billion in government benefits each year while contributing only $2-billion in tax. This amount included social spending on Maori that is taxpayer funded. Certainly this issue is a bigger drain on the economy than the whole Treaty of Waitangi process.
New Zealanders should be concentrating on giving equal rights for all and encouraging each other to do well in life. Giving special handouts is not really helping New Zealand to move forward. It perpetuates the idea that victims are helpless and need special assistance forever. As long as we reward the victim mentality, there will always be victims lining up to get their handout.
The Pakeha Party (I believe) should be about trying to end these handouts for Maori and replace it with equal handouts regardless of race, but with the emphasis being on poverty and health. It is against Maori privilege, Pakeha privilege, in fact any race based priviledge. Those who think The Pakeha Party is about Pakeha priviledge are just plain wrong and should get their facts straight before ranting off about it being a racist movement.