Tremain Chris: General Debate 
Tremain Chris: General Debate 
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CHRIS TREMAIN (National—Napier) 
: 
 I acknowledge Helen Clark’s valedictory speech today and I wish her well in her new role at the UN. 
In the first few months of this Government National has kept its word on law and order. We have new legislation on parole new legislation on bail new legislation on DNA sampling new legislation on victims’ rights and just last week urgent measures dealing with sex offenders. We have kept our promise to the electorate and we are doing what we said we would do. 
Four Fridays ago I joined Henare O’Keefe at Flaxmere Skate Bowl. Henare is the gentleman who ran the “Enough is Enough” march against crime. Henare Des Ratima and a group of dedicated supporters have been initiating projects to address crime in Hawke’s Bay. On this particular night we were out with the marae’s recently acquired new barbecue “Tunutunu” talking to the kids at the skate bowl. These kids aged from just 8 years were bored had only 16-year-old gang aspirants as their leaders and largely had parents who did not give a damn that they were out roaming the streets at midnight. From watching and talking to these kids as they ate at the barbecue it became pretty clear that lifting the sentencing bar again and again will not address the issues that these kids face. National is cognisant that continually lifting the level of sentencing will not address the drivers of crime on its own. As a result I was proud to see Simon Power recognise this fact by way of his Drivers of Crime forum last Friday. I congratulate Minister Power and Pita Sharples who worked together on that initiative. 
Hawke’s Bay has been at the centre of addressing the drivers of crime and seeking alternative solutions for decades. Now that we have addressed some of the inadequacies in bail parole and victims’ rights here in the House it is my opinion that we must focus on top-of-the-cliff solutions if we are to deliver better outcomes in the crime debate. 
Just last weekend I attended Wairoa’s CACTUS youth programme graduation day. Dubbed “The Longest Day” last Saturday represented the graduation of the fourth group of Wairoa youth to complete the programme. “The Longest Day” started at 6 a.m. and finished at 12 p.m. combining a series of physical challenges and finishing with pulling a 17-tonne fire truck down the main street of Wairoa. It brought together an 8-week programme aimed at teaching the teenagers discipline goal setting and leadership. It was an amazing day and an amazing programme and the impact on the kids was clear to see. CACTUS was recently awarded the top award at the nationwide TrustPower Community Awards. I congratulate Detective Sergeant Mick Lander Mayor Les Probert and the Wairoa College principal Brian Simpson who together with many others pulled this amazing project together. The upshot of this initiative is that a number of communities around New Zealand are now trialling the programme. CACTUS is just one example of many programmes being initiated for youth in Hawke’s Bay and also around New Zealand. 
 I wish to bring one problem to the attention of the House and it goes to the heart of the matter. It is the glue that holds these programmes together. Normally the glue would be a family a whanau that reinforces the values the skills and the goals taught on these programmes. Unfortunately in many families these lessons are not reinforced when the kids return home and old habits come back very quickly. Regrettably this means that many very good programmes often have only short-term benefits. My challenge to the House is to come up with a long-term solution that offers effective competition to the gangs from an age when children are first being prospected by those gangs. 
The issue is boredom and parents who do not give a damn. I think that one answer lies in the many urban maraes that are flourishing around this nation. No one will ever replace the family and we should not try to replace it. But somehow we need to provide an ongoing alternative for kids who are bored whose parents do not give a damn and whose only role models are the 16-year-olds who are prospecting to be the next generation of gang members. I think that maraes can provide ongoing home and youth programmes that address the issues I have just spoken about. In Hawke’s Bay Henare O’Keefe and his team will be working to trial just such a programme over the next year. I look forward to updating the House on this project as we in the Hawke’s Bay look to progress a brighter future for our kids. Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker Roy.