Lee Melissa: Vulnerable Children Bill Children Young Persons and Their Families (Vulnerable Children) Amendment Bill KiwiSaver (Vulnerable Children) Amendment Bill — Third ReadingsText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLee Melissa: Vulnerable Children Bill Children Young Persons and Their Families (Vulnerable Children) Amendment Bill KiwiSaver (Vulnerable Children) Amendment Bill — Third Readings[Sitting date: 19 June 2014. Volume:699;Page:18743. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MELISSA LEE (National):It gives me great pleasure to rise to speak to this third reading of the legislation arising from the Vulnerable Children Bill. I begin by congratulating the Minister for Social Development the Hon Paula Bennett who is very passionate about her portfolio and you can see it in the work that she has actually produced in the welfare reforms.As I stand to take this call on the third reading of the legislation I am reminded of a 3-year-old who died in hospital back in 2007. She had suffered horrific neglect and abuse and torture while neighbours whānau and the wider community stood watching. Staff at her kōhanga reo smelt cannabis and urine on the little child but did not notify Child Youth and Family. Justice came too late for that child. Her abusers and killers were eventually convicted but they were the very people who should have protected her and cared for her and loved her but failed to do so. Her name is Nia Glassie. Today as we conclude this legislation I am reminded of that bright-eyed little girl in her yellow sunhat with a bow full of hope and promise who died tragically back in 2007. I am also reminded of the Kāhui twins and thousands of other children who have been abused neglected and killed in New Zealand over the years. No doubt somewhere in New Zealand as we debate this legislation sadly there will be children being abused beaten neglected and unloved.My heart actually aches when I think about that because for me unlike Ms Sue Moroney who says that poverty is the reason poverty cannot be the reason why parents and loved ones abuse their children. Poverty cannot be the reason that they beat up little children who cannot do anything to protect themselves. As parliamentarians we have the responsibility to give every child a better start to life. Yes we are all agreed on that. New Zealanders are sick and tired of the abuse statistics we have had and they have said enough is enough. This National Government is doing something about it and delivering on our promise. But poverty is not the reason why people abuse children. As a parent who struggled for many years to conceive a child I know just how precious a child is. For me my son is a miracle and I cannot for the life of me understand how anyone could abuse a child—how anyone could possibly abuse a child. All I can say to those abusers is: may God have mercy on their terrible terrible souls because I certainly cannot find any mercy in my heart for them.I get quite emotional just thinking about the abuse some of these children have suffered. But it has been an absolute privilege working on this legislation as a member of the Social Services Committee and now as the chair of the Social Services Committee that has examined this legislation. I would just like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the officials who have given us expert advice—and they are sitting up in the gallery now; they have been nothing but professional—committee clerks who have assisted us and my fellow members right across the House. There have been times when we disagreed on points but I have to say that all members agree that we want to provide the best outcome for our children in this country. We might differ in the way that we want to do the job and I respect that but we agree that we want to provide the best possible outcome for the children of New Zealand.The coroner at Nia Glassie’s inquest actually said: “Decent members of a community should not stand by and whanau and other family members should not turn a ‘blind’ eye”. I am in total agreement with him that it is a shared responsibility. It has to be coordinated collaborated on and acted on right across the Government social services sector. Even the local sparkie or the plumber—everyone who visits a house—who sees abuse has a responsibility. They cannot turn a blind eye. The future of New Zealand rests on what we do now. How we protect our most vulnerable children will show what sort of society we become and what kind of a nation we are.The National Government’s reforms are major and far reaching and represent the most significant legislative reforms to address child abuse and neglect since the passage of the Children Young Persons and their Families Act. This will bring better Government accountability better vetting and screening of people who actually work with children and better guardianship and protection laws. We are making five heads of Government departments accountable. For the first time the Ministry of Social Development the Ministry of Education the Ministry of Health the Ministry of Justice and New Zealand Police are all responsible and accountable. They will have new responsibilities and child protection policies which will have a direct impact on every front-line worker. Children are the most valuable asset a nation has and we must protect them and I believe this legislation does. I commend it to the House.