5. CHESTER BORROWS (National—Whanganui) Link to this
to the Minister for Social Development and Employment
What is the Government doing to support young people?
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment) Link to this
Today we announced our Fresh Start programme for youth offenders, and our school holidays Break Away programme for young people. These two programmes together will support New Zealanders aged between 11 and 17 years with both preventive programmes and programmes to help them when they are in trouble.
Can the Minister give more detail on what activities will be offered in the school holiday Break Away programme?
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
The Break Away package will provide activities and programmes for young people who normally do not have access to such activities. In excess of 30,000 young people will benefit from the package, through holiday programmes for 11 to 17-year-olds whose families cannot afford holidays; the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, which will reward 100 young people who have made positive life changes; and, a personal favourite of mine, residential respite camps, which will give 500 places to children and young people who are cared for by foster parents or by grandparents raising grandchildren, to give the parents a break. Those camps will be run by children’s health camps to start with.
Jacinda ArdernWhy is the Minister trialling the first military-style activity camps as early as next month, well before the public and the select committee have the opportunity to report back on her youth justice proposals; is this yet another example of a Government that refuses to listen to submitters, especially when the vast majority of them are opposed to its ideas?
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
These young people are ticking time bombs that are about to go off. They deserve our attention. They deserve our putting everything we can behind them to try to turn their lives round. Quite frankly, all that happened under the previous Government was that they ended up in adult prisons really quickly and really easily. We are going to do something about it.
Can the Minister give the House more details on the Fresh Start programme for young offenders? [ Interruption]
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
I know that members opposite do not like to hear about the action that is going on under this Government, and the difference that we are making, but Fresh Start will target New Zealand’s most serious youth offenders. It also has a focus on turning round the lives of young people before they get into the youth justice system. We are bolstering the court orders available to judges, and investing more in supervision programmes. We are combining those measures with police and community-based diversion, mentoring, and drug and alcohol programmes, amongst many other programmes. This is a $59 million investment, and it means that nearly 3,000 Fresh Start places will be available.