11. STEVE CHADWICK (Labour—Rotorua) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
Has he received any reports on the benefits of breastfeeding?
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister of Health) Link to this
Yes, I have received many reports that the breastfeeding of children leads to significant health benefits. For example, children who are breastfed are less likely to suffer from a wide range of infectious diseases and allergies, are more likely to have better cognitive development, better visual acuity, and so on.
Has he received any reports on the intersecting benefits of breastfeeding for the health and immigration systems?
Perhaps surprisingly, I have. I have received a report that reads as follows: “British immigrants fit in here very well. My own ancestry is all British. New Zealand values are British values, derived from centuries of struggles since the Magna Carta. Those things make New Zealand the society it is. So people who bring in these values, because they imbibe them with their mother’s milk, almost by definition make good immigrants.” This report comes from Dr Don Brash, who apparently believes that more white women should be encouraged to breastfeed their children. Let me assure Dr Brash that there is no evidence, as yet, that the spirit of the Magna Carta can be transmitted through breast milk.
Hon Tony RyallI seek leave to table a number of pressing issues in the health sector—from industrial relations through to falling hospital access. That is work the Minister of Health should have been working on this morning.
Madam SPEAKER