Turei Metiria: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Turei Metiria: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 28 November 2012. Volume:686;Page:6847. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
1. 
METIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development 
: When she said in her response to the 2010 Taskforce for Action on Sexual Violence that it was important to “consider future funding options to ensure the sector has greater certainty” did she intend for that to mean funding may be cut? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development) 
: 
 No what I meant was exactly what I said and that was: “establish what sexual violence services the Government is already purchasing what the current and long-term demands are and consider future funding options to ensure the sector has greater certainty around funding.” 
Metiria Turei 
: If her intention was to retain adequate services will she restore support to the eight sexual violence prevention services that have told us that they have lost funding; if she will not restore that funding why not? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I would need to see details on it. My understanding is that many of them have not as such lost funding but the Community Response Fund is no longer operating and many did not see that as what it was which was time limited. Instead they saw it as ongoing. 
Metiria Turei 
: How can the Minister provide any certainty to the sector when her Government has broken its promises made over the task force report including the axing of the Community Response Fund; the alternative trials process being canned; the specialist court victims’ advisers nearly half of whom have never been appointed; and the stocktake of Government spending on sexual violence prevention services which has never been publicly released? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I do not agree with all of the member’s assertions. In fact the member’s party itself got a copy of that stocktake when it asked for it. It has been made available to Te Ohaaki a Hine—National Network for Ending Sexual Violence Together as well. It has gone to that network so it is there. Also the Community Response Fund is always what it has been so we have not misled anyone or services on that. It was time-limited funding which we did extend further because we saw the need. But “time-limited” is exactly that. 
Metiria Turei 
: How has the Government met its promise to continue to provide effective services to support those affected by sexual violence when Auckland’s helpline may now have to cut its 24-hour phone support service because it does not have enough funding to continue? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I am aware that a number of agencies have been working with the Auckland helpline. Actually we do see that service as important but we are also in realities where times are tough and ongoing funding is difficult to find. The service is needing to have a look at how it cuts its cloth to match its funding but I know that agencies combined have put more in this year to try to meet some of those shortfalls. 
Metiria Turei 
: How does the axing of millions of dollars in funding including the Community Response Fund provide greater certainty to the survivors of sexual abuse and the services when agencies in Whangarei in Nelson and in Hawera are saying that they may have to shut up shop because they do not have enough funding to continue? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: The member keeps asserting that we are cutting the Community Response Fund. We are not. We in fact put millions and millions of dollars more in at very difficult times. Certainly that should be acknowledged as our trying to actually come up with and carry over that in difficult times for funding initiatives. 
Sue Moroney 
: Given the police have recently confirmed that 2235 family violence investigations have been undertaken in just the last 20 months where at least one sexual assault offence occurred why has she cut her ministry’s funding of the Campaign for Action on Family Violence by 58 percent since 2009? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Because we are far more interested in putting money into services. For example we have increased money to family violence prevention services by $4 million over the last 4 years. That is not the time-limited funding. There was $40 million going in in 2008; there is now $44 million. In fact we have had another increase in the last 12 months. 
Metiria Turei 
: What does the Minister have to say to the survivors of sexual violence and their families in the Manawatu whose crisis phone line was diverted last year to Hawera and who now do not know whether there is anywhere left for that crisis phone to be diverted to because of funding cuts to the Hawera service? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: What I am aware of is that there are at least nine different helplines across New Zealand that respond with sexual violence prevention services. I think they are important and they certainly have the respect of this Government. What we do need to look at is what is the most efficient way to use them and to run them. For example Child Youth and Family does not run a 24/7 service in every region. We run it nationally and then it can be extended out and we can make sure that we see it regionally during the day. I do think we need to look at those services that are running at how we can get them more efficient and actually meet the needs of people as they need them. 
Metiria Turei 
: Can the Minister understand that after all the broken promises in relation to the task force report and the funding cuts and losses the families of the survivors of sexual violence and the sector that supports those families now have no certainty about the continuation of those services; if so will she commit to ensuring that these vital services remain open for those communities? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I do not agree with the member’s assertions. What I will say is yes we are committed to continuing to work with them talk with them and find solutions.