McClay Todd: Children Young Persons and Their Families (Youth Courts Jurisdiction and Orders) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
McClay Todd: Children Young Persons and Their Families (Youth Courts Jurisdiction and Orders) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:660;Page:9022] 
TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua) 
: 
 It gives me pleasure to rise to speak in the Committee stage of the Children Young Persons and Their Families (Youth Courts Jurisdiction and Orders) Amendment Bill. It has been an interesting debate as interesting as it was when we were in the Social Services Committee where many submitters came to speak to us. Certainly Opposition members are handpicking little bits that they want to talk about. I thank the Minister for Social Development and Employment Paula Bennett for her openness and responsiveness not only for answering questions here this evening but also for the interactions we have had as we have gone along from last year in looking at this bill. 
There are a couple of points that I really must touch on. One of them is that during the course of the debate in the select committee members opposite asked for more time. The Minister was responsive and gave us more time. 
Hon Annette King 
: She gave us more time because she wasn’t ready. 
TODD McCLAY 
: Not at all. The Minister gave us more time so we could consider the bill and look at it. I thank her for that. The reason I thank her for that is that she along with every member on this side of the Chamber wants to make sure we get this legislation right. Do members know why we need to get this legislation right? It is because on this very night when Labour members opposite are speaking about all these things that will or will not work and about what they used to do or would be doing if they were in Government we have young people in New Zealand who started committing crimes when they were very young out there in the streets tonight now that it is dark committing them again. 
The sad reality I say to members opposite is that for the last 9 years studies— 
Dr Rajen Prasad 
: Oh there you go again. 
TODD McCLAY 
: Surely Mr Prasad cannot stand up in this Chamber and tell me that he is proud of the previous Government’s record in this area. The reason I know he cannot be proud of that record is that these young kids were committing crimes when all of the studies were being done. When the Families Commission was very busy with families working out what should be done—sitting on couches and so on—those kids got to the age of 18 and now they are in our prisons. We know as a society and a country that we have not done well enough. 
I will pick up on a couple of things that members have said in the debate tonight. Chester Borrows is a man whom I greatly respect. He is a man who has been out and been involved with young people as a policeman for many years and he has worked hard to make their lives better. I say to members opposite that they should go and buy Chester a cup of coffee—he does not take sugar in it—and listen to him. They should not talk to him but listen to him because he has some real experience about what happens on the ground. When I listen to the rhetoric that comes across from the other side of the Chamber I know that clearly those members have to sit down with somebody like Chester and listen to his experience. I would listen to and trust Chester Borrows’ views on these issues because of his experience long before I would trust the hollow rhetoric from the other side of the Chamber. 
I will now touch on the speech of Hekia Parata who spoke with great passion. Of course members opposite were critical of her because she was speaking too loudly. Well I will back a member of this Parliament who wants to stand up and talk about those lost youths the ones who are languishing in our jails and their lost opportunities any day of the week. 
There are two issues in respect of Part 1. One is the military-style camps. Members opposite really need a reality check when it comes to what they think these things will be about. Of course they are about mentoring. Of course they are about drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Of course they are about wraparound services but do members know what? Mrs King is not correct. A sharp short shock will help some people some of the time. These are the ones whom we do not have to worry about because a policeman coming to their door and talking to their parents could well be enough. Do members know what happens to most of these young people who may end up in the military-style camps? They will have had lots of chances as the Minister said often having been 11 times through Family Court jurisdictions. These are the kids for whom we have as a society one last chance to help before they go on to an adult prison. They will spend time with adults who will teach them to respect themselves and ask them to offer respect in return help them to work through some of these issues particularly drugs and alcohol and support them in the communities when they go back into the communities. This is one of the last chances we will have to make sure their lives are not ruined and they do not end up in prison. This is an initiative that we have had support from the community for. Those who have been involved in some of these programmes support them fully and I think this bill will do great things. 
We have heard from members opposite about 12 and 13-year-olds. It is very interesting. We had a lot of submissions on that and again my recollection of some of the things the Youth Court judges said when they came to us is quite different from that of members opposite. But I accept that the Principle Youth Court Judge said that he had concerns in some cases. One of the changes the select committee made will mean that when a 12 or 13-year-old appears before a Youth Court judge for those crimes the judge can use some of the tools that are in the Family Court or refer back to the Family Court if he or she chooses to.