Turner Judy: General Debates 
Turner Judy: General Debates 
[Volume:618;Page:13856] 
JUDY TURNER (United Future) 
: 
 At 12.15 today the Hon Peter Dunne and the Prime Minister jointly announced the appointment of commissioners to the Families Commission. The independent appointments committee has professionally scrutinised the large number of high-calibre applicants and has interviewed those who made it on to its shortlist. Those appointed are well known for their commitment to New Zealand children and their families. Over the next few weeks they will advertise for and employ the essential support staff and begin to map out a strategy for the establishment phase of the commission. I expect the commission will be inundated with approaches from the many stakeholders that serve the interests of families and have demonstrated huge interest and support for this commission. Government departments academics research agencies social service providers parent educators family health experts and family law practitioners will all want to be consulted and to offer advice on the shape and content of the strategic plan and want to help to identify the key questions that the commission’s research dollars should address. This is exactly how it should be—a commission charged with the task of learning all that it can about both the health and pathology of family environments so that it can supply the Government and community agencies with the information they need in order to better target families with the initiatives they really need. 
If I could design a marketing brand for our nation it would not be “nuclear-free New Zealand” or “clean green” or “business-friendly”—although those slogans all have merit. I would go for a byline that pulled all those ideas together and clearly stated what United Future believes Kiwis really want. It is as simple as this: that New Zealand should be and can be the best place in the world to raise a family. But for that to be a reality we have to look beyond the current emphasis on the well-being of individuals and to start asking ourselves hard questions like those about the factors that contribute to the best long-term interests of children and their families. Put simply we must move beyond merely responding to the current crises faced by many New Zealand families and we need to build capacity as a nation. The Families Commission is the body that will be able to put all the pieces of the jigsaw together and reveal a picture of the processes that occur within families and in the interaction of the family with the broader social economic political and cultural environment that is New Zealand. With the picture made clearer Governments and communities can be much more responsive to the real needs of families. Sustainable changes in family outcomes often take a generation or two to reach fruition and that is why it is essential that a core concern of the commission will be to articulate and advocate for the crucial role that families play in the development and socialisation of children. The family environment and experiences combine with the impact of childcare schools media and neighbourhoods to shape the next generation of New Zealanders. 
I would like to congratulate those named today as Families Commissioners. Chief Families Commissioner Dr Rajen Prasad is well known for his former role as Race Relations Conciliator. Dr Prasad has extensive professional experience in family and social work and in research into family issues and has a strong background in the governance and management of public and educational organisations. Deputy Chief Families Commissioner Sharron Cole has been actively involved in Parents Centre. She is a bioethics researcher has been an elected member of the Hutt District Health Board and serves as an adviser on a number of health-related committees. Psychiatrist Professor Mason Durie has specialised in community psychiatry family therapy and family health issues. He is currently professor of Maori research and development at Massey University. Legal expert Sandra Alofivae has a background in family and youth law and 20 years’ experience of voluntary and community service with a particular emphasis on education for families and communities in south Auckland. Former human rights commissioner Carolynn Bull is a senior family law practitioner in Christchurch and long-time family advocate Lyn Campbell has been the Christchurch City Council’s child advocate with extensive experience in leading and advising on various family and community initiatives. 
I believe that New Zealand can reclaim what has been lost and once again be the best place in the world to raise a family in and I am confident that those commissioners will provide the balance and skills needed to make their mark in the history of this country as the commissioners who took up the challenge of making that goal a reality.