King Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
King Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:660;Page:8955] 
5. 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: What work if any has she undertaken to extend Whanau Ora to all New Zealanders? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 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. 
Hon Annette King 
: Does she agree that Whanau 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? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Yes. 
Hon Annette King 
: 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 
: We have to wonder why Labour has an issue with Maori 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 Kokiri was a heavily— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I 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 
: 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. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: 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 
: 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. 
Hon Annette King 
: Does she still insist that it is the media’s fault that no one knows the definition of Whanau 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 Maori Party think it is another and the Prime Minister thinks it is a waterbed? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: 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 Maori 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. 
Hon Annette King 
: 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. 
Hon Gerry Brownlee 
: Mr Speaker— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: 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. 
Hon Annette King 
: Does she agree with the Prime Minister that most of the funding for Whanau Ora will come from existing baselines; if so how much does she expect to be taken from Vote Social Development? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: As previously answered the member must wait and see. Those announcements will be made in Budget 2010.