Pacific leaders urge continuity in support amid Budget 2025 cuts

Pacific leaders have raised concerns about the significant cuts announced in New Zealand's Budget 2025.

Speaking to John Pulu on Pacific Mornings, Labour MP Jenny Salesa criticises the cuts, saying they exemplify how the National-led Government has consistently failed the Pacific people.

“Yet again, this Government continues to fail our Pacific people,” Salesa says. “If we're just to look at the Ministry for Pacific Peoples, it's been cut this year by nearly 36 million, but that's on top of the nearly 26 million that this National-led Government made to the Ministry of Pacific Peoples last year.”

Salesa also points to changes in pay equity legislation that she believes will make it significantly more difficult for Pacific women to lodge pay equity claims.

The threshold for these claims has increased from 60 per cent to 70 per cent, which Salesa says disadvantages sectors like secondary school teaching, where women make up 63 per cent of the workforce.

She further expresses her outrage over the withdrawal of funding for the Dawn Raids, describing it as "shameful" given the lasting trauma that still affects Pacific families.

"It was a big thing for Dawn Raids. We made the apology and we put some funding aside because so many of our people are still traumatised by it. They've even cut that, which we just think is shameful.”

Rachel Afeaki-Taumoepeau, Chair of the New Zealand Tonga Business Council, also raises concerns about the implications of funding cuts for Pacific businesses.

She tells Pulu of her disappointment with the government's decision to reduce business-targeted funding, including the $3.5 million cut to the Tauola Business Fund.

Listen to Jenny Salesa's full interview here

“I think like many of us, Pacifica peoples, business people and not, we were all really quite surprised,” Afeaki-Taumoepeau says.

“But at the same time, I think a few of us were still quite pleased that there was still funding that was still made available for our Pasifika businesses to ensure that there is investment into business development and economic development.”

This year’s Budget has ended the Tauola Business Fund, which was designed to support Pacific businesses in New Zealand.

The fund will still have $6.3m each year to support Pacific businesses through other initiatives, like the Pacific Business Trust and the Pacific Business Village.

Listen to Rachel Afeaki-Taumoepeau's full interview here

Afeaki-Taumoepeau remains optimistic about the role of organisations like the Pacific Business Trust in leading support initiatives.

However, she emphasised the urgent need for robust regional collaboration to help Pacific businesses navigate current economic pressures.

“I'm looking forward to a meeting that's taking place with Pacific Business Trust and our Pacific business village early next month,” Afeaki-Taumoepeau says.

“And we're going to have some very robust discussions about what it looks like going forward to support our Pasifika businesses in New Zealand.”