5. I Now Live In Wellington And I’m Ready To Do My Part. While I may not be familiar with the tikanga, I am happy to learn & I am sure there will be no shortage of Kaumätua willing to put me right. Living in Wellington means I now work only ten minutes from the PNBS office and am fast becoming familiar with the Trust property. 6. Land Is One Of The Keys To Long Term Security For The Trust Members Many of the battles that our ancestors fought were over land because it played such an important part in the lives of early Maori and in this so called modern day and age little has changed except we generally don’t go to war over land in Aotearoa anymore. I believe part of the way forward with PNBST properties will be skilful management of existing property & a strong negotiating team to work on the first option property. More on this 7. I Will Work With The Trust To Build Upon The Commercial Assets. For me it is essential that we retain our land and make every effort to secure more land to add to that which is being returned in the settlement. But it’s not enough to just have land. I am keen to work with the Trust to build upon the commercial assets that we have in way that will best advantage the whänau, mokopuna and future generations. More on this 8. My Business Background I started out as a farmer but for the last 30 years I have been in business and more recently Commercial Real Estate. While much of the PNBS was to redress cultural issues the greater part of the settlement is property. My understanding of commercial property, sales, leasing and management will be an advantage to the trust with existing property & future investments. At this point I would like to introduce my wife of 19 years, Terri. Terri is a Chartered Accountant with Berry & Walker Ltd here in Wellington. Terri’s passion is business advice, mentoring and support for small to medium size business. Terri is also very keen to offer her support in any and all areas that the Trust may want to utilize her skills and qualifications. Terri is very analytical and has a keen eye for error’s and inaccuracies in figures & reports. A skill I believe the Trust will find very use full. More on this. 9. Real Negotiating Power By utilizing the Trust Assets to benefit all members in welfare, education, business and employment As individuals we’re not able to negotiate discounts of any significance but as a group of 17 to 20 thousand beneficiaries and the use of technology we have negotiating power to negotiate with the private sector and Government. As a collective group we could negotiate discounts on a range of goods, services and investments e.g. Phone, power, petrol, gas, oil, groceries, electrical goods, travel, cars, vehicle repairs, insurance, health care, building supplies etc. For example just a 10% discount on power alone would amount to a saving per average household of about $200 per year. Add up all the potential discounts, and savings of $2,000 to $3,000 per family is quite possible. Going down this path is something to get excited about. More On This 10. A Computer In Every Home The Government has indicated that every home in NZ should own a computer as we are becoming more reliant on them for day to day needs and also the education of our mokopuna. I would like to see that we take full advantage this opportunity to partner with the Government to negotiate and obtain better discounts. More on this. 11. Home Welfare. These opportunities could apply to other aspects of our home life such as home heating, solar power & double glazing. 12. Business. The Government has funding available to help new Maori business initiatives. I would encourage Trust to support new or existing business ventures by helping to identify and apply for Government funding for business development, education, mentoring and generally supporting our Whanau in business. Business growth will result in new employment opportunities for our unemployed. 13. Life’s Not About What You Have But How You Use It. Success is all about how you use what you have. So we didn’t get the billions we were hoping to get. Our success will not depend on what we get, it will depend on how we use what were getting and managing it wisely. Success will be strengthened by finding the best and brightest who are willing to use their talent and skill for the benefit of the whole family. Success will depend on our ability to work as a team. I want to be part of that leadership team, your vote for me is a vote for the success of that team.