Lotu-Iiga Sam: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Lotu-Iiga Sam: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 26 June 2012. Volume:681;Page:3352. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie) 
: 
 It is a pleasure to rise and speak to this debate on Crown entities and State enterprises. As a Crown entity the Families Commission is about to undergo a transformation. The reason why it will be transformed is that this Government believes in better public services. In turbulent times this John Key - led Government is determined to take tough but necessary steps to manage our debt build a competitive economy and deliver on better Government services. New Zealanders know this and they know it because they have seen 600 more front-line police they have seen 2000 more nurses and they have seen 12000 more tertiary education places. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I know we have had a pretty broad-ranging debate but that just goes beyond the pale I think. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch) 
: I will just remind the member that we are actually on the Families Commission so come back to that. 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA 
: Recognising this after the election our confidence and supply agreement with United Future promised this positive change: “The Families Commission will have two broad functions—the existing functions will be headed by a single Commissioner and new monitoring evaluation and research functions to drive quality services for families. In addition a Families Status Report will be developed to measure how New Zealand families are getting on and government will re-direct $4m over four years to fund extra parenting programmes and relationship education in secondary schools.” 
So what does this mean? Well we are restructuring the commission and this will see its core activities streamlined through a leaner more focused structure. It will be headed by a single commissioner down from the original seven. That is right: less bureaucracy in one fell swoop. However it will be governed by a board that will include Professor Sir Peter Gluckman as well as persons from the public sector and philanthropic and business representatives. This is about credible community input into the direction of an important entity. 
The commission will also take a new role providing for independent monitoring—that is right independence—evaluation and research to measure the effectiveness of initiatives across the social sector. Funding will be reduced from $32 million over 4 years to $28 million. This will be done primarily by setting up the new Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit. 
If we are going to make a difference in our communities for our families who are struggling we need to be able to invest in interventions that we know will work. The body of evidence will allow policy makers service providers and anyone wanting to invest in those social services to make more informed decisions. It is about having evidence-based interventions that produce better long-term outcomes—something the Labour Government of the 2000s clearly did not achieve through the Families Commission. It is about our families it is about our communities and ultimately it is about the kids in our country. 
So financially what does it mean? Well it means we are going to prioritise funds into areas that actually matter to New Zealanders: $4 million into the parenting programmes relationship education and youth mental health initiatives—programmes that have actually made a difference to New Zealanders in need. I have talked about the $14 million that will be assigned to the Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit and it will also have $1.8 million to take over the responsibility for the longitudinal study Growing Up in New Zealand. 
In summary then the Families Commission will remain an autonomous Crown entity. 
Sue Moroney 
: Ha! 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA 
: That is right Mrs Moroney—an autonomous Crown entity. This is significant change for the commission in terms of its structural arrangements its work programme its capability requirements and its size. The commission will continue to work on issues that are important for families just within a leaner more focused structure. There will be an inter-agency team from the Ministry of Social Development the State Services Commission and the Families Commission that will oversee this transition. These changes will be due to be implemented by 1 January 2013. Finally may I say that— 
Report noted.