‘Budget Protects Power, Not People'
'This is the worst Budget we've seen. This Budget protects power, not people,' said Te Pāti Māori Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
'They didn't forget our tamariki — they ignored them. They ignored our wāhine, our iwi, our whānau.'
Despite tangata whenua making up at least 20% of the population, Māori development is receiving only 0.27% of the total Budget — the lowest in a decade.
'This Budget is a betrayal of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It slashes our tino rangatiratanga and our ability to protect our lands, our waters, and our futures. This is a Budget that protects power, not people,' she said.
'There is no love in this Budget for Māori, for our babies, for anyone — except this government's rich mates,' said Te Pāti Māori Co-leader Rawiri Waititi.
'The government is systematically erasing our constitutional rights, defunding Māori-led solutions, and transferring wealth from those who need it to billionaires.
'This Budget doesn't build a future for Māori — it builds our demise. A truly responsible Budget would fund our solutions, not suppress them,' said Waititi.
A Te Pāti Māori Budget would create an Aotearoa where the rights and obligations recognised in Te Tiriti o Waitangi are honoured, and where every person has access to food, housing, and healthcare.
'For once, I agree with the Prime Minister — Te Pāti Māori will tax more. We will tax Chris Luxon's rich mates and the people whose wealth he passes legislation to protect,' said Ngarewa-Packer.
'Our tax policy will benefit 97% of Aotearoa, provide eight weeks of free kai per year to whānau across the country, and ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share,' she said.
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