11. Question No. 11—ChildrenHon WILLOW-JEAN PRIME (Labour) to the Minister for ChildrenQuestion No. 11—Children11. Hon WILLOW-JEAN PRIME (Labour) to the Minister for Children: Does she stand by all her statements and actions?Hon KAREN CHHOUR (Minister for Children): Yes.Hon Willow-Jean Prime: Does she stand by her statement that there will be no front-line cuts to services providing care and protection to children?Hon KAREN CHHOUR: Yes.Hon Willow-Jean Prime: Can she assure the House that the International Child Protection Unit that focuses on cross-border issues like child labour exploitation sexual exploitation and child trafficking will not be disestablished and if not why not?Hon KAREN CHHOUR: I don't have ministerial responsibility for some of those.Hon Willow-Jean Prime: Point of order Mr Speaker. I am referring to the International Child Protection Unit within Oranga Tamariki. She does have ministerial responsibility for Oranga Tamariki.SPEAKER: The Minister might like to elaborate on the answer.Hon KAREN CHHOUR: There is a restructure going on right now and there is a proposal that has been put before Oranga Tamariki. No final decisions have been made and consultation is happening at the moment.Hon Willow-Jean Prime: Why does the Minister endorse disestablishing the unit that plays a crucial role in preventing and addressing child labour exploitation child sexual exploitation and child trafficking and smuggling?SPEAKER: It's a bit hard to say that the Minister's taken a position when the Minister's just actually said that the matter is under review.Hon Willow-Jean Prime: Why is the Minister then proposing to disestablish the unit that plays a crucial role in preventing and addressing child labour exploitation child sexual exploitation and child trafficking and smuggling?SPEAKER: Well I'll tell you what: why don't you have another way of asking the question that you're wanting without the accusation at the start of the question?Hon Willow-Jean Prime: Does the Minister support the ministry's proposal to disestablish the unit that plays a crucial role in preventing and addressing child labour exploitation child sexual exploitation and child trafficking and smuggling?Hon KAREN CHHOUR: Oranga Tamariki is currently going through a restructure. All this is still under proposal and consultation is still happening. Oranga Tamariki has my expectation that the best interests of our young people are at the forefront of all their decision making. That is my expectation.Hon Willow-Jean Prime: Point of order. The Minister didn't answer my question. My question was: does she support it?SPEAKER: No the Minister did answer your question. The Minister said that the matters were under review and then she stated what her expectation was from that review. I don't think you can get better than that.Hon Willow-Jean Prime: As the Minister for Children why is the Minister standing by cuts to agencies and services that are dedicated to the protection of children?Hon KAREN CHHOUR: Oranga Tamariki needs to get back to its core focus which is care and protection of our young people. We are streamlining the organisation to focus on the care and protection of our young people. We need to get back to the basics and do it better than we have been.Hon Nicola Willis: Does the Minister agree with the statement by the chief executive of Oranga Tamariki in relation to the restructuring proposal that it was developed with the care and protection of children at its centre with reductions and changes focused on reducing and streamlining the back office keeping the roles of the front line out of the scope for change so as not to affect the services we provide on the ground to tamariki rangatahi and whānau?Hon KAREN CHHOUR: Absolutely. Stakeholder groups Opposition parties Governments iwi and hapū have all been asked for real change in Oranga Tamariki. This is what real change looks like.Hon Willow-Jean Prime: Supplementary.SPEAKER: No you've run out of them even with the extras that were offered earlier.