Copeland Gordon: Families Commission Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Procedure 
Copeland Gordon: Families Commission Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Procedure 
[Volume:614;Page:10287] 
GORDON COPELAND (United Future) 
: 
 In speaking to the title the Families Commission Bill I want to begin by outlining the fact that in arriving at Bowen House one morning recently my eyes were drawn to a radiantly happy young woman who had just alighted from a taxi. As the taxi drove away I noticed on the footpath in front of her a baby in a car seat. The incident made me realise what a thrill I feel when I see that special joy that exists between parents and their children. My primary goal in deciding to offer myself for election to Parliament last year was to work towards seeing a greater number of New Zealand families functioning on the basis of stability and harmony. The ideal is for every child to grow up loved and nurtured by a mother and a father in a situation of certainty and stability with the support from the intergenerational extended family and whanau. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: This is a title debate. 
GORDON COPELAND 
: In talking to the overarching goal of this bill and the title we need to establish a commission called the Families Commission because it is a vitally important step towards its achievement. There has been debate during the passage of this bill about the definition of “families”. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I am sorry to interrupt the honourable member. This is a title debate and the member must discuss the question of whether the title adequately describes the bill. That is the key issue. 
GORDON COPELAND 
: I believe that the title does adequately describe this bill because we are talking here about definitions of families and family groups which are incorporated in Part 1. Much of the debate that has been heard in this Chamber so far has been misdirected and it is more than answered through the United Future and Government Supplementary Order Paper to this bill. Arguments about what this should be called about definitions and even the name of this bill essentially miss the heart of what it is that the Families Commission seeks to achieve. While striving to obtain the best possible family outcomes we also need to deal with the reality of our present situation. 
Dr Muriel Newman 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. The honourable member who is debating the title of this bill does seem to keep straying. I know that you have tried to bring him back but maybe you could just explain a little bit more clearly what the title debate is all about and the narrowness of it. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I thank the honourable member for drawing it to my attention. Can I just say to the honourable member on his feet that I am getting close to terminating his speech. The title debate is a very specific debate. There will be an opportunity for the member to debate the issues he is debating now when we come to Part 1. The member must ask himself this question: does the title adequately describe the bill? That is what the member is allowed to debate and the member may call the bill all sorts of names or whatever but he must come back to the debate. It is a very narrow one. 
GORDON COPELAND 
: Thank you Mr Chairman. One can see that the logic of my argument if it was listened to that we need to use the word “families” in the title of the bill rather than the singular “family” which had previously been suggested by some. What I am trying to outline is why we should use the word “families” in the title to this bill. The image of the radiant young woman with her baby which I mentioned earlier sadly stands in contrast to the many struggling unhappy children I see in our society; children who are not only being raised in poverty but also frequently without the presence of a mum or dad. That is reality for many of our children. Some of them are growing up in ways that we could not even begin to describe as a stable family— 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I am sorry to interrupt the honourable member but he is not addressing the title and I am terminating his speech.