Ngaro AlfredALFRED NGARO (Chairperson of the Social Services Committee): E Te Mana Whakawā tēnā koe. I rise to take a call on this Estimates debate in regard to Vote Social Development and because we have the Minister for Building and Housing who will be speaking I will focus my comments and my approach on the Vote Social Development component. There is a saying that a country a community and a society will be judged by the way that it cares for its young and for its old—Carmel Sepuloni: Well then that Government's failed.ALFRED NGARO: —so that has got to be really important. Although the member has just made that statement I think she needs to go back and read her own history to realise that actually we will all be judged—we will all be judged by that. My comments are that in regard to that saying we need to look at what it is that we are doing under this Government in regard to caring for the young and for the old in regard to social development. The whole thrust of the social investment strategy is around looking at the whole picture of the whole system. It is not just turning round and saying: The people that we're servicing are part of the problem. We need to get better at servicing them." It actually stops and says what a Productivity Commission report turned round and said: that when we look at the system as a whole there are important aspects of the way we deliver that service that need to be transformed and changed. A social investment strategy means that it targets the individual. It targets them and looks at the aspirations that they have. That is the approach that this Government is taking and it is highlighted also in its Budget of 2016. So the social investment package is an overall package of $652 million. It overhauls the New Zealand childcare protection system. I have previously been a part of childcare protection panels. I have been involved as a community worker in a number of cases which were behind complex needs situations family group conferences—the whole issue. I have even been involved in an advisory committee around the blueprint approach. In all of those I have been a part of what they called 14 different reviews of the sector. In that regard it has not shifted or changed anything. What this Government has done under this Minister the Hon Anne Tolley is to say that it is about time we do not just have another review. In fact in the Estimates hearing what we did have was that a number of officials said of those 14 different reviews that they just added another layer of complexity; it was not making a difference. We can say that by overhauling the system we know that it is making a difference to that. Budget 2016 includes $347.8 million for care and protection services to ensure that we transform the system to ensure that it does care for our children—for our young people who are in that system as well. It has five key core services in the new operating model: prevention intensive intervention care and support transition of care—that becomes critically important. We have approximately 61000 children who come into the notification of Child Youth and Family. We have 64 percent of those who are known. Those statistics have not shifted or changed. Under this Government we are ensuring that we are changing that. We are seeing that change happen because of the system and the care that we are taking to ensure that happens. Mr Deputy Speaker—Mr Chair—$144.9 million of that over 4 years will meet the cost of cost pressures to allow for an increase in the demand for services to make sure that our children and young persons are cared for as well. We know that the results of that have already been proven. The latest valuation has shown that the number of those who are on welfare has been reduced. This means that there are 900000 fewer future years on benefit for clients. The number of people on benefit has fallen below 280000 which is below the number from the global financial crisis in 2008. We are continuing to see that momentum change. These are the facts; these are the figures we know that are truly making a difference Mr Deputy Speaker—Mr Chair. I think that is critically important as well. There is $61.2 million to expand youth services. The transition and the duty of care are currently before the House. That is another initiative to ensure that we raise the age of the duty of care from 17 to 18. This again is an initiative that has been taken on by this Government. It has heard the submissions that have been made. We think they are significant as well. There is $26 million to maintain the targeted case management to 120000 clients to fund through the work initiative as well. We think that is significant as well. Mr Deputy Speaker—Mr Chair—I keep saying "Mr Deputy Speaker Mr Chair"; you are one and the same. We know that the Ministry of Social Development provides services and support to over 1 million New Zealanders; 140000 families are included in that. We think that is important. The Government expenditure is $24 billion over that period of time and we know that there is $12.9 billion in superannuation and $7.3 billion in benefits alone and other related expenses. We believe that the Budget that has been allocated and the overhaul of the system—not just another review a significant inner change—are showing that we are listening to key stakeholders. Thank you."