Turner Judy: Children's Commissioner Bill — Third Reading 
Turner Judy: Children's Commissioner Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:613;Page:10120] 
JUDY TURNER (United Future) 
: 
 I rise on behalf of United Future to speak in support of the Children’s Commissioner Bill. I shall focus briefly on four particular aspects of the bill for which we are supportive. The first is the improved appointments process for commissioners. We applaud the more transparent process the bill sets in place. This commission does not necessarily need to be led by senior public servants nearing retirement so the ability for the position to be widely advertised so that the most suitable person can be found is vital. Submitters to the bill were very clear that they wanted assurance that people with the relevant skills and experience would not be sidelined by more politically motivated candidates. 
The second area we are pleased about is the strengthened functions of the commissioner. The specific statutory powers that enhance the commissioner’s role in supporting the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child are great. The recent release from the commission on the report into the Aplin murders demonstrates the effectiveness of the commissioner to examine critically the systems that should serve the needs of New Zealand children. The value of commissioners is that they can always stand in the gap for those they are mandated to advocate for when others fail to. Children should enjoy the support of parents and family educational facilities social services law enforcement agencies neighbours and the like. When that does not happen for whatever reason someone needs to take up the call. 
The value of this commission is not just its advocacy for individual children but the connections it makes between specific cases and trends affecting children in New Zealand. At a time when there is call for greater inter-agency cooperation the Commissioner for Children provides a much-needed umbrella for child-focused organisations to refer to. The inclusion of children’s rights as well as their interests and welfare in the primary function of the commission is a welcome inclusion. Widening the investigative role of the commissioner to issues beyond those that arise through the Department of Child Youth and Family Services is a sensible extension of the important work that the Office of the Commissioner for Children must do. 
Thirdly we are thrilled about the consultation with children provisions. Consulting with children about issues that affect them is also a positive and strengthened role of the Commissioner for Children. Helping children to articulate their concerns without putting words into their mouths is often a specialised field of inquiry. However children do have opinions on most aspects of life and when decisions are being made that have direct ramifications for them they should be consulted. 
Lastly we are pleased about the stronger inter-agency links between the commission and other statutory offices. One of the strengths of any commission is the network it establishes with other agencies. The obligation to refer when there is another more appropriate commission or agency to help a member of the public means that the public is well served and any unnecessary duplication of work is avoided. That provision is particularly important for commissions because of the potential broad base of the work they undertake. United Future is therefore happy to support the passage of this bill and offers its congratulations and best wishes to the new commissioner and her team.