5. Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) Link to this
to the Minister for Social Development and Employment
What work, if any, has she undertaken to extend Whānau Ora to all New Zealanders?
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment) Link to this
I can inform the member that decisions are yet to be made, and that we are expecting announcements to be made as part of Budget 2010.
Does she agree that Whānau Ora is a cross-sectoral, whole-of-Government concept that uses a structured process of Government agencies and community organisations working together to achieve better education, housing, health, and social outcomes for families, in which both Government and non-governmental and community organisations will participate; if not, why not?
Is she aware that the description I have just given is that of the Strengthening Families programme, which has existed for 6 years, has been evaluated, and is operating effectively? Why are we going through the pretence of saying to New Zealanders that the Government has a new programme for vulnerable families, and wasting time and money pulling the wool over their eyes?
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
We have to wonder why Labour has an issue with Māori coming up with solutions to their own problems. I mean, Labour’s big idea was closing the gaps, which, according to the head of Te Puni Kōkiri, was a heavily—
Mr SPEAKERI heard the member ask a question, but I am not hearing much of an answer relating to the question, at all. If I recollect correctly, the question asked was: “Was the Minister aware that a description given was the description of”—from memory—“the Strengthening Families policy?”, or something. Some attempt to answer that question would be helpful, rather than a launch into the Opposition.
Hon Gerry Brownlee Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The second part of the question was: “Why is the Government doing it?”, which, of course, gives the Minister an opportunity to ask why, if the programme was so good for all those years, so many families are still living in poverty.
I am perhaps suitably censured. Maybe the question should have been briefer. I ask the Minister, though, in responding, not to launch straight into the Opposition.
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
We have Strengthening Families; unfortunately we also have as much dysfunction and as many families struggling as there were under years of Labour’s just putting out more and more programmes, and driving stuff from Wellington into areas that did not work. We are talking about something that is grassroots; we are talking about something that is going back to those communities and to those families and working in quite a different way.
Does she still insist that it is the media’s fault that no one knows the definition of Whānau Ora even though her own ministry’s website has no clear definition, and even though she thinks it is one thing, Minister Turia and the Māori Party think it is another, and the Prime Minister thinks it is a waterbed?
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
No, I do not. I think that it is kind of clear, and that it is Labour that is having issues. We could go back to closing the gaps and “reducing inequalities”. I just don’t understand Labour’s issue with Māori coming up with their own solutions to their own issues in their own communities, and coming up with stuff that really works. It is because it is not Wellington-driven.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I listened carefully to the Minister’s answer and I did not hear any addressing of my question, at all.
I do not need assistance on this one. In fairness—given the nature of the member’s question on this occasion, which became somewhat flippant towards the end—I say that if one wants to inject that kind of thing into the question, the answer will never be quite as objective as the member might have wanted. I do not think I can intervene on this occasion.
Does she agree with the Prime Minister that most of the funding for Whānau Ora will come from existing baselines; if so, how much does she expect to be taken from Vote Social Development?
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
As previously answered, the member must wait and see. Those announcements will be made in Budget 2010.