Ardern Jacinda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Ardern Jacinda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Sitting date: 14 August 2012. Volume:682;Page:4305. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
6. 
JACINDA ARDERN (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development 
: Does she stand by her statement “I want to make sure the Ministry of Social Development is focused on its core responsibilities in the years ahead in particular those families stuck in long-term poverty. I don’t underestimate the challenges associated with this but I intend to make it a priority.”? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development) 
: 
 I stand by the full quote in its context and that is: “The fact that a substantial group of deprived New Zealanders has continued throughout a decade of relative prosperity”—and I was saying this under the previous Labour Government; this was in 2008—“underlines the challenges we face in stopping that group from growing much larger with harder times looming. I want to make sure the Ministry of Social Development”—and so on as the member put forth. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: How many children in New Zealand are currently living in poverty? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: There is in New Zealand no actual poverty line so as such that is a very open question. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: If poverty is her priority has the Ministerial Committee on Poverty set any goals for poverty reduction during the four meetings it has held; if so what are they? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: If the member has specific questions about that committee she should address them to the chair of that committee who as she knows is Minister English. However I can say that there is a lot of work going on amongst that across a whole wide range. Whether it is from housing to education it is getting things done and that is the reality of it instead of just worrying about measurements. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: If poverty is her priority why is it not one of her key platforms in her Green Paper for Vulnerable Children? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I did see a press release from the member today saying that poverty is not in the green paper. That actually is factually incorrect. It is in the green paper and it is certainly being addressed. It has come through in submissions and I am sure the member can wait to see the white paper to see it in there. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: If poverty is one of her priorities why has she not done any work to establish a poverty line as Unicef and other OECD nations have to measure how many children are living in poverty in New Zealand? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: That member’s party had 9 years to do that and did not. I do not see that as a priority— 
Hon Members 
: Oh! 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Well I do not see the measurement as a priority and I will stand here quite willingly. What we have done is we have protected benefits for those who need them most. We have locked in CPI increases we have insulated homes for those who need it most and we have got under-sixes actually now getting free 24/7 medical care. We have protected those incomes for those who need them most more than the previous Government did and we shall continue to do so.