Logie Jan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Logie Jan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 16 August 2012. Volume:682;Page:4481. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
11. 
JAN LOGIE (Green) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development 
: Is she concerned that Wellington Rape Crisis is shutting its doors one day a week because of funding shortfalls? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development) 
: 
 Yes although I have just been reading a press release that says Wellington Rape Crisis thinks it is going to get that $55000 and may not have to shut on that 5th day. But certainly from my perspective it is a valued and respected service for Wellington. 
Jan Logie 
: Then why is the Government not providing enough funding so that vital services can be assured for victims? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I think it is really important to say that there has not been a reduction in Government funding for this organisation and in fact—[ 
Interruption 
] Well there has not been. I have certainly gone back and looked very very carefully at the figures in the last couple of hours and the information I have in front of me is that it has not had a reduction from Child Youth and Family. What it may have got was Community Response Fund funding which was as we all know time limited and came up at the end of last year like it did for everyone. But there is no way that there has been a cut in funding. In fact there has been an increase in its services from Child Youth and Family. 
Jan Logie 
: Given the national increase in demand for sexual violence services how does the Minister plan to protect organisations from the impact of effective funding cuts by ACC and the Ministry of Social Development for adult survivors? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I think that is a really fair question. What we have been doing is working with Te Ohaaki a Hine—National Network for Ending Sexual Violence Together which certainly has been making representations on behalf of that sector to the Government. The member I am sure is fully aware of the task force and some of the recommendations from it. What we did instigate last year which I think is quite important is for the sector to have at least more say over its funding and how it is divided and we put more funding certainly out of my own budget into that pool so that it can have more say on how it is distributed. I think that ongoing funding and increases are always a challenge and particularly in these times but we are certainly open to continued dialogue so that we can work our way through the issues. 
Jan Logie 
: Does the Minister think it appropriate that Rape Crisis is reliant on one-off offers of money from organisations like Hell Pizza which is trying to assuage its guilt for giving money away—giving a free pizza—for a confession of sexual assault? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I do not feel I have ministerial responsibility for what Hell Pizza may or may not have been doing. What I can say to the member is it is a shame that Wellington Rape Crisis had not asked to come and see me before I saw the press releases this week because I would have willingly seen those people and perhaps have tried to work through a way to do this without going through the media. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Jan Logie—[ 
Interruption 
] Order! I want to be able to hear Jan Logie. 
Jan Logie 
: Does she believe that the current funding crisis may be due to a lack of leadership as evidenced by the media being bounced between Ministers denying responsibility when they were trying to get comment on funding for Wellington Rape Crisis? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: No and as I say I have carefully gone through both phone calls and correspondence in my office in the last few weeks and have seen nothing from Wellington Rape Crisis.