Hutchison Paul: Reports — Inquiry into Improving Child Health Outcomes and Preventing Child Abuse with a Focus from Preconception Until Three Years of Age (Volumes 1 and 2)Text is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHutchison Paul: Reports — Inquiry into Improving Child Health Outcomes and Preventing Child Abuse with a Focus from Preconception Until Three Years of Age (Volumes 1 and 2)[Sitting date: 10 December 2013. Volume:695;Page:15457. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (Chairperson of the Health Committee): I moveThat the House take note of the report of the Health Committee on the Inquiry into improving child health outcomes and preventing child abuse with a focus from preconception until three years of age. Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker and also the Business Committee for agreeing to this historic debate on our report. The timing of the debate—just before Christmas which celebrates the birth of arguably the world’s greatest child advocate reformer and philosopher—is more than fitting. It is almost immaculate.May I acknowledge and thank all my colleagues from parties across the political spectrum who have worked hard to achieve a consensus over a range of extremely challenging issues from reproductive health to optimal maternity care and from the socio-economic determinants of health and poverty and political leadership to an all-of-Government approach to improve nutrition and prevent the impending burden of long-term chronic diseases. I have really appreciated the thoughtfulness and contributions of Kevin Hague Annette King and many others who though we are miles apart on many political issues see improving children’s health especially in the very early years as a no-brainer. Some might say that our recommendations could have elements of nanny State but I would argue that from a libertarian perspective it behoves every parent aswell as the Government to do everything they possibly can to ensure all children have the chance to achieve their full potential but as adults to be expected to exercise individual responsibility. May I sincerely thank all the submitters and expert witnesses who so willingly and passionately assisted us with this inquiry as well as the Prime Minister the Minister of Health Tony Ryall and my colleagues in the National caucus who agreed to initiate the inquiry in the first place.We asked the Government to put more focus on and investment into the very early years—preconception to 3 years—because the evidence is overwhelming from science education health justice and economics that very early high-quality care and nurturing in a child’s life gives the greatest chance of that child achieving their full potential and leading a long and productive life. This is an investment approach from the work of Nobel laureate economist James Heckman: the rate of return for the dollar spent on a child is far higher the earlier the investment is made. He said: “The longer society waits to intervene in the life cycle of a disadvantaged child the more costly it is to remediate disadvantage.”This is a proactive preventive whole-of-Government approach that insists on a scientific evidence base and it complements the very important work the Government is doing on the Children’s Action Plan for vulnerable children as well as in early childhood education. We produced a graph demonstrating that a large proportion of Vote Health is spent in the last few years of life. An immediate reaction was: does this mean we would be taking away from the elderly? The reverse is the fact which is that by getting things right from the start of life the quality years of life are extended.The reality of how best to improve the effects of child poverty and the socio-economic determinants of health has different political approaches. As Professor David Fergusson cautioned the committee poverty is relative. Pouring money into a dysfunctional family materially rich or poor may give no benefit unless the interventions are evidence-based are made as early as possible and are associated with the right incentives and reciprocal responsibility.Our report has 12 major recommendations and 130 detailed practical recommendations across a spectrum of areas. We are calling on the Government to take this package very seriously to take it in its entirety and to not just pick up the easy issues.About half a century ago outcomes for New Zealand children were near the top of the world’s. Sadly this has eroded substantially. I cannot think of any New Zealander who would not agree that improving children’s outcomes as well as the economy should be right up on the political agenda in election 2014. Our childhood investment approach is a win for children a win for adults a win for the economy and a win for New Zealand. Thank you.