It's time to close the gaps," then prime minister Helen Clark announced 10 years ago.

Closing the Gaps was a Labour initiative designed to improve Maori welfare – "by Maori, for Maori".

National tore the policy apart: "A policy that favours Maori. Is this separatism?"

It piled on the pressure and Labour buckled.

Ten years on and the Maori Party wants National to back Whanau Ora, a programme designed to improve the lives of Maori whanau and which would also help close gaps.

It is about the devolution of state funding to whanau and community groups. Put simply, it’s about groups like the Wai-
pareira Trust, taking responsibility for delivering state-funded services to Maori.

What would be the problem? After all, there are too many Maori families affected by intergenerational unemployment and who know only how to get the dole.

In too many cases Social Welfare could be held responsible for the spread of Maori dysfunction in urban areas.

Whanau Ora gives Maori the chance to break that cycle. Under it, dysfunctional whanau will not automatically receive the dole but will be made more accountable for whanau wellbeing.

These families will report to the Waipareira Trust which has had a lifelong commitment to improving the status of Maori.

Surely National has nothing to lose since the current system feeds dysfunction and Kahui-type tragedies happen too frequently.

Ironically, Labour is questioning whether Whanau Ora is racially targeted and as the pressure goes on, National is starting to look shaky.

John Key must hold his nerve.

He should stop the waffle about Whanau Ora being for everyone. If Pakeha families can benefit, well and good, but it was designed for the benefit of Maori whanau – "Maori solutions to Maori problems" – and is necessary because Maori are tragically over-represented in all of our negative statistics. It’s time Labour stopped playing politics and supported the policy. Welfare should not be a part of Maori culture.

Whanau Ora is a chance to make a positive change for Maori. And that means positive change for all New Zealand.

Auckland Stuff.co.nz, February 25, 2010