Kei aku whakateitei ki te whenua, kei aku whakatamarahi ki te rangi, nei ra te reo owha ka rere. Ko Mihingarangi tenei e mihi atu nei, nau mai, tahuti mai ra. Welcome to The Hui, Maori current affairs for all New Zealanders. E taro ake nei. It's a mega chook house that's ruffling feathers in the north. This will change Kaipara forever. A million chickens, 32 giant sheds, just 30-odd jobs right on the back doorstep of this Kaipara marae. We're not going anywhere. Are you ready for a big fight? Yep. Yes, we are. And he went from zero to hero. Ko ia te tino rangatira. We're in Kaitaia with local hero of the year Ricky Houghton. I'm a living example of what can happen when hopelessness is turned into hope. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2018 Karahuihui mai. A small country town is taking a stand to stop the country's largest chicken plant from being built in their backyard. Tegel Foods is currently seeking resource consent from local councils to build a gigantic broiler chicken farm on the outskirts of Dargaville and on the doorstep of Kapehu Marae. Submissions have been made against the farm by the marae and business owners, with many other locals crying fowl. WOMAN: We come here to get away. We come here cos this is home. But a mega poultry farm is threatening their papakainga. Our tupuna came here 200 years ago. We've been here ever since. We're not going anywhere. This Kaipara community is rallying together to take on chicken giant Tegel. What's your biggest fear with this? That this will change Kaipara forever. That's what's going to happen. Are you ready for a big fight? Yep. Yes, we are. It's quiet and idyllic. This is rural life in Arapohue, a small settlement south of Dargaville. The community is made up of hardworking families, farmers, and the Kapehu Marae. Like so many marae around the country, we are deliberately a long way from everywhere. It's very quiet. It's very peaceful here, and we need that. Folks here say life is good, but many wonder for how long ` if a mega-sized chicken farm gets the go-ahead on neighbouring properties. This marae and this urupa have been here too long. You cannot come in and expect us just to go because you want to build a big industrial poultry farm. Tegel wants to build the biggest broiler chicken farm in Aotearoa here in Dargaville. It will have 32 sheds and house 1.3 million chickens at any one time. MAN: It's gonna be covered in limestone and concrete and buildings and roadways ` a huge amount of land. Just a stone's throw away from the proposed construction is Kapehu Marae. Its kuia say their marae is small and humble, but it's home. We've been here for 200 years. All whanau have grown to love this place and know that this is where they belong, We're just thinking for how long? The major concern, which will always be our major concern, is that this proposal will severely violate the tapu of both the marae and our urupa. Marae chairwoman Margaret Mutu says they'll be impacted severely if the chook farm comes to town. We will not be able to use this place. We'll be covered in dust. We won't be able to use the water off our roof because it will have all of the dust in it. We won't be able to hear ourselves speak. The urupa sits on the hill, overlooking the proposed site for the chicken farm. It's only 350m away from where their loved ones rest. Those sheds will have massive fans on the top of them, and they will also have a chimney where they're burning 40 tons of litter and paru, teko, mimi from the birds... every day, and that will disperse immediately to the urupa, so you will get not only the noise of the operations down there of the sheds, the fans, the massive incinerator;... you will also get the toxic emissions out of the chimney, and the reports say that they are toxic and harmful to human health. Margaret says Tegel contacted her in August last year to inform her of their plans. They said to me that it was going to be really good, it was going to be environmentally friendly, there was going to be no negative impacts at all, and they were going to plant them all and it would all look really, really nice, and this would be really helpful, because it would create jobs and our people would be able to have jobs. And I said, 'Well, this sounds good. So can you please provide me with the documentation?' Despite repeated requests, Margaret says Tegel never gave her the documentation, and she eventually had to get it from the council. I was horrified because, essentially, what Tegel had done was they had done a sales pitch job on me rather than tell me the truth. There are a number of our neighbours around here who were not consulted and who are very, very disturbed at how... their whole life will be completely turned on its head and totally violated by what's proposed, and so for us, it's very important that we work with our Pakeha neighbours. Neighbours like organic vegetable grower Robert Vincent. He's been working his land for more than 50 years. He fears Tegel's proposal could kill his business. This factory farming requires a lot of nasty chemicals, and we are concerned that they will get in the floodwater, in the river water, in the harbour. The risk, we feel, is toxins being blown up here on the wind. The worry is that when it comes, it's too late. It can't be undone, and we can't manage the wind. Tegel's farm will create around 30 jobs. Robert says he also provides the same amount of employment, and those jobs could be at risk. Are you fearful that you'll lose your organic title? The auditor has said we will come under closer scrutiny, and if we come under close scrutiny, that will add the stress layer to us and the costs, because the more auditors turn up here, the more we have the pay for our organic audit. Rob and the wider community first heard about Tegel's broiler chicken farm mid-February, leaving them only three weeks to put submissions in to the council. I was very shocked, especially at the enormity of this project. This is the thing that people don't understand ` this is no little chicken farm; this is serious, and I think it needs to have more serious consideration given to every aspect of it. Dargaville locals, like Helen Topia, are determined to keep their little piece of paradise intact. These people don't care. They have no connections to us on the land here, and they're foreign, and they will take what they want, and they will disperse it across the world, but they'll leave us with polluted air and an environment that was not the same as when they came. This is footage from inside a broiler chicken farm ` thousands of chickens crammed into the shed until slaughter. The chicks' lifespan is only six weeks from when they hatch to when they hit the shelves in your supermarket. In fact, this is considered a free-range farm because of the small openings in the wall. There is a social conscience about the way we treat our animals which hasn't been in the past. This is the opportunity for us to comment on what the community really thinks ` if this will help our green, clean image or our humane way of treating animals. So, what is it actually like to be living next a broiler chicken farm? Here in Parakai, residents have been living with their chicken sheds for more than 20 years. This site has only eight sheds ` a quarter of what's proposed for Dargaville. MAN: Trucks, they go through all night and that sort of thing. It's mainly the smell aspect. Everyone has to deal with it and everyone smells it, and there are times when it's horrible. I feel it affects my asthma, and there are certain times of the year, especially in the hot summer months, you'll get that smell at our place, and it's horrendous, so you close all your doors up, and you can imagine, in the middle of summer, and you've got all the windows closed and the house closed up tightly because of that smell. Phillip Steedman's family homestead is across the road. They don't want their Kaipara whanaunga to have to endure what they have. I think the guys up in Dargaville, they need to fight as hard as they can ` everybody ` to stop that from happening. You learn to deal with things, but I think if we had the choice to not do it, I think we'd go back all those years, and my stepdad and my mother, when it came to that option to sign for this and say yes or no, I think they'd say no, in hindsight, cos we have the power of hindsight at the moment. Up there, they've got nothing apart from a few promises. I think they just need to do whatever they can to stop it from going forward. Tegel has now accepted an invitation to meet with kuia at Kapehu Marae. They are also working with the local iwi, Te Roroa, who've completed a Cultural Impact Assessment of the proposed development. Kapehu Marae is currently completing theirs. But for the kuia here at the marae, their focus is on the next generation. That's what we fight for, eh? We fight for our mokopuna so that they don't have to fight the fight ` that it's already been laid down for them by us. The one thing one of our kuia did say at our last hui was there is one good thing that has come out of this, and it's bought us all together ` Maori, Pakeha, and the district all come together. Na Rewa Harriman tera purongo. And we asked Tegel to be interviewed for that story, but they declined. However, in a statement they say, 'Tegel reached out to the Kapehu Marae early in the application development, 'and we are currently working alongside Te Roroa 'and representatives of Kapehu Marae 'to assess the cultural impacts of the proposed development.' They go on to say, 'We are looking forward to continuing to engage with Kapehu Marae 'and the wider community on the proposed project.' Kei tua o nga whakatairanga, we're in Kaitaia with the man turning hopelessness into hope. Ko ia te taniwha hiku roa o Te Hiku o Te Ika. Kaitaia community leader Ricky Houghton is making a real difference for those who've fallen through the cracks in the Far North. As the CEO of He Korowai Trust, Ricky has helped thousands of people into education, homes, and a brighter future, earning him a community hero award. Rewa Harriman headed north to meet the man himself. Give me a kiss. Hi. He's world famous in Kaitaia ` the big man with the even bigger heart. (BOTH SING IN MAORI) (LAUGHS) (VOCALISES) At the helm of social service provider He Korowai Trust, Ricky Houghton is a local hero. Kahore he tangata i tu atu i a ia o roto o Kaitaia nei, o roto o Muri Whenua nei. Ko ia te tino rangatira. He nui nga tangata korero noa iho, engari tenei tangata whakapau werawera tana mahi kia tutuki ona wawata. Ricky and his dedicated team at the trust have a shared vision for their community. We want to provide a beacon of hope, an oasis of opportunity way up here in the Far North. The trust has been operating for more than 17 years in the heart of Kaitaia, supporting, housing, and upskilling the most vulnerable in the community. 185 families will come through that have nearly 600 children under the age of 17. They will meet the criteria, and they will ask us for help. All of our services are free, and any person can access them. It's a place where the most important ingredient is aroha. I believe in miracles. I am a miracle. I see miracles every day with families that I work with. I see that when you love them and you feed them and you listen to them and you talk to them... and you treat them the way you like to be treated ` all the very, very basic Maori whanau principles. From its humble beginnings, the trust has helped more than 2000 whanau from emergency accommodation and financial competency through to home ownership. He Korowai Trust is the service of last resort. There is nothing after He Korowai. And it's a big drop. Unfortunately, the families are ending up in hospitals,... they're ending up in prisons, or they end up in cemeteries. This is the hub, right ` the hub of He Korowai Trust? This is our emergency accommodation unit. Right now tonight, there's 35 single people in here. We have seven cabins here for men that can't go home tonight. And so you're at full capacity? We're at full capacity, yeah, and we've got a wait list. There's a reason why Ricky can relate to those who are down and out. It's because he's been there himself ` a product of the state care system. Ricky suffered horrific abuse as a child. When I was institutionalised at a very young age, I was given shock treatment, and it has caused me lifelong problems through memory loss. Sometimes I have excruciating headaches. And I'm an example of what can happen if you're nurtured and if you're loved, if you're cared for, if you're respected, and if you're treated in a way... that turns all that energy and releases that in a positive way. In the last decade, Ricky and his team have saved more than 550 homes from mortgagee sale through hands-on financial education, keeping more than 6000 vulnerable people in his rohe housed. I refer to my staff as the SAS team. That's what they are. They are very highly skilled, super sensitive... superheroes. Led by the local hero. Yeah, well, you know. We've got a couple of phone boxes here I can change in. (BOTH LAUGH) Another champion of the poor and a son of the Far North, Hone Harawira has only praise for his mate Ricky, who he's seen give literally everything to help others. Ko tona iwi... Ko tona iwi ko toku iwi tera ` ko te pani me te rawakore. Tera ano te iwi nui rawa atu i Aotearoa. Nui atu i a Ngapuhi, tera iwi te pani me te rawakore. Na reira tera taku tino mihi atu ki a ia, ahakoa e mea ana nga tangata, 'Oh, kore e taea te mahi tera e Ricky,' 'Oh, hanga pakeke ana tera e Ricky,' 'Kua moumou taima ki tera e Ricky,' mena whakarohia na ka taea e ia ka mahia, ahakoa te korero a wai ra ne. Mihi atu ki a ia. (PERFORMS KARANGA) This year, Ricky and the trust achieved another milestone ` opening the first Maori trade-training course in Kaitaia, the Sweet As Academy. The Academy is the trust's long-term dream to kick-start career pathways for young students. I mean, even the name ` Students Without Education or Employment Training, Achieving, and Succeeding ` and to me, that says it all. (SPEAKS MAORI) Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime says this initiative will provide real career pathways to Northland youth, who've been waiting a long time for an opportunity like this. E mohio ana tatou katoa kei raro te nota i Te Tai Tokerau e putu ana i roto i nga tautaraunga mot e kore mahi, mot e kore kainga, mo te iti o te putea e ka whiwhi i nga tangata e roto a e noho anei roto i tenei takiwa no reira ma tenei ka kite i nga painga ka puta mo te hapori, mo nga taitamriki ano hoki, na ate mea ka whiwhi ratou i nga pukenga, nga pepa, me nga mahi a te mutunga o tenei kaupapa. Kia ora. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) While Ricky is opening doors for many up north, it's his own whanau based in Auckland who've paid the ultimate price. Ricky travels five hours to Kaitaia every week, only spending time with his whanau in the weekends. I'm grateful to my family. I mean, to drive away from your family every week for 17 years, to be able to do that there and have the support to know that they'll be there when you're ready to get home is incredible. How hard is that for you to be away from your whanau. It's very hard. It's incredibly hard. But this year, Ricky was recognised for that sacrifice, winning the Local Hero award at the 2018 New Zealander of the Year Awards. It's nice to be acknowledged. It's very humbling. It's something that... I never thought in my wildest dreams I would ever, ever receive. I shared that award with a lot of people. Are you able to tell me where would you be staying tonight if you weren't staying here. Probably over by that fulla at The Warehouse. (CHUCKLES) You're staying under the stars? You're staying on the street? Yes, for sure. But it's not the stage that motivates him; it's the people on the streets. I love these families. I'm a living example of what can happen... when hopelessness is turned into hope. Leave the singing to us. Leave all the street singing to the street singers. Yeah. And leave all the office work to me. You've gotta go back and be another hero. Eh? (LAUGHS) Love you, my bro. Na Rewa Harriman tera purongo. How will Maori be affected by a new review of the tax system? I speak to Sir Michael Cullen next. The government is reviewing the way in which we pay tax. So how do we split up the tax bill to cover the public spending needed? I spoke with Sir Michael Cullen, who is the chair of the Tax Working Group. Are you a supporter of a water tax? Personally, I am, but obviously, on this programme I want to emphasise that the issue of the rights and interests of Maori have to be protected and recognised, but then, of course, I would say that; I am the chief treaty claims negotiator for Tuwharetoa. So can a restructure or a refit of our tax system create fairer outcomes for Maori? For the extent it's sustainable, it's going to help in the longer term. One area, for example, if I might mention it, is dental health is much poorer, on average, than Pakeha's dental health. Literally, people only have to open their mouths for that to become obvious. Why are we still accepting that in our society? Why are we not accepting that the state has a duty to provide more funding into dental healthcare, because dental healthcare and dental health affects all kinds of other health, and so that raises questions about how can you empower Maori to have more control over things like health spending and education in order to produce better outcomes for Maori? And I think that's a difficult issue that many Pakeha have trouble getting their head around, because they think it just means some kind of special position, special privilege. The reality is that New Zealand as a whole is a loser if we have poor outcomes in that regard amongst a substantial section of the population, whether it's Maori or Pakeha. The way you make it fair is you don't accept that that's got to be the position that carries on forever. In other words, you address those issues which result in poor Maori health statistics and lower Maori life expectancy. Would the review committee look at something like removing GST from fruit and veggies? No. Why not? We've looked at it. Because, actually, the rich spend a lot more on fruit and veggies, as any visit to Pak'nSave will tell you. It is not poor people that have lots of fruit and veggies, so it doesn't achieve the objective, and it starts to introduce` If that, why not newspapers? Why not books? Why not all kinds of things that are good? And if you end up in the position that some people on the Green end of the spectrum say, that we should only tax bads, what happens if we all become good as a consequence? We suddenly don't have any tax revenue to pay for education and health and superannuation and things I don't like spending money on as Minister of Finance ` the criminal justice system and so on and so forth. So, actually, you can't base your tax system entirely around taxing things which are 'bad'. We do tax smokes. Yes, indeed. Would you remove that? No. No, no. If you're not going to remove the GST from fruit and veg, what about some cigarettes? Because I don't think removing GST from fruit and veg will actually encourage people with very low incomes to eat more fruit and veg, and people with high incomes will take advantage of it, because they tend to eat a better diet in any case. It's one of the horrible things about poverty vs wealth. Smoking, I think, is a quite different matter. A lot of evidence now shows that you increase the price; consumption goes down. The awful thing is that that means we've now ended up in a position where the residual minority of people in New Zealand who smoke are predominantly Maori and Pasifika and low-paid, low income. So we actually have the most inequitable ` in that sense ` tax part of the system. And I think we've probably reached the point where if we keep on increasing the taxation too far, it's just going to create a bigger and bigger black market and incentive for people to engage in criminal activity. But to come back to a point that we haven't really covered, I think one of the important things in terms of the Maori context on taxation change is not just what you can do positively, but ensuring that changes you may think of making ` how they may impact more negatively upon Maori than upon the rest of the population. So an issue like a land tax, for example, has implications. Issues like capital gains tax that people were saying that, on an annual assessment basis ` in other words, one that's not based on realisation ` could impact more heavily upon the Maori economy. So, there's been a lot of talk in this interview about what's bad and what's good. I just want to know are tax evaders bad? Yes. Good. Absolutely. And do you think this review panel would be supportive of turning the tables on the amount of effort... Yes. ...that's spent on tracking down tax evaders as opposed to beneficiary fraudsters. If you look at what's happened in recent years, the previous government cut back on spending on enforcement in Inland Revenue Department but actually intensified enforcement in some areas of the benefit system. I don't support, if you like, benefit fraud, but it's, I think, much more important because there's much more money involved in people who both evade taxes but also engage in highly artificial constructs to try to avoid paying tax, which is legal but not necessarily moral. And I'm quite keen to see us come out with recommendations which will make it easier for the system to be completely fair so that people with essentially the same kind of income pay the same amount of tax. When might we see any change at all? Any changes which might be legislated for wouldn't come into effect until after the next election in 2020, which in practice means they come into effect 1 April 2021, so people can vote on whether those changes are acceptable. Ko te pirimia tuarua o mua tera ko Michael Cullen. No reira kua hikina Te Hui mo tenei ra. We'll post links to the show on our Facebook page and on Twitter at The Hui NZ, and you'll find all our stories on the Newshub website. Newshub Nation's next. Pai marire ki a tatou katoa. Captions by Madison Batten. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2018 ALL: He mea tautoko na Te Mangai Paho. The Hui is made with support from New Zealand On Air.