10:01 AM |
Hon Georginate HeuheuMinister for Pacific Island Affairs | |
| 9 December 2009 | Media Statement |
| Leadership skills vital in youthful population The importance of mobilising Maori and Pacific leaders for the future well-being of New Zealand has been stressed by Pacific Island Affairs Minister Georgina te Heuheu. In a speech to the Wellington Pacific Leadership Symposium titled 'Mobilising a new generation of leaders' she congratulated Victoria University for setting up He Parekereke – the Institute for Research and Development in Maori and Pacific Education – which is the home for the Pacific Leadership Cluster. The Cluster has vowed to grow 1,000 new generational leaders by 2015 and Mrs te Heuheu said as Minister of Pacific Island Affairs she intended to hold it to that promise because it was vital for the future of New Zealand that both Maori and Pacific had those leadership skills. At the 2006 Census 6.7 percent (or 265,974) of the New Zealand population identified with a Pacific ethnicity and of that number 100,334 were under the age of 15. "Looking at those numbers and appreciating the role of Pacific people in New Zealand's future, it is not hard to see why it's important to mobilise leaders for the future." Mrs te Heuheu said leadership needed to be developed especially in Pacific communities where a strong youthful potential had yet to be realised. The median age at the 2006 census for Pacific people was 21 compared to the overall median New Zealand age of 35. Population projections estimate that Pacific people will make up 13 per cent of New Zealand's workforce by 2021. "Acknowledging those statistics, the Government is committed to ensuring that Pacific young people are at the forefront of a growing economy. "If we are to achieve economic growth and prosperity, we must make high quality investment in New Zealand's young people. "Education, skills and qualifications are the key to growing our economy. "Models of leadership that placed high priority on integrity would guarantee long-term wellbeing for our nation," she said. "I know that you will take away valuable knowledge from the collective wisdom that you garner here and it will give you the courage to live up to the ideals and values that you aspire to."
Media contact: Rose Hart 021 2799878 04 8179878
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