Collins Judith: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Collins Judith: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:618;Page:14341] 
 JUDITH COLLINS (National—Clevedon) 
: 
 That was a great contribution from Dr Muriel Newman. When the Minister stood up before and made some very interesting comments he talked about food banks. Well I would like to ask him: “Where are the food banks today?”. The food banks are there they are growing and organisers are constantly saying the banks are under stress. Those people are constantly saying that things are getting worse not better under this Labour Government. After 5 years of a Labour Government the food banks are still there and growing. 
I have been looking at some of the initiatives under the social development portfolio and some of the best things in that particular portfolio were put in place under a National Government: Family Start Strengthening Families and Social Workers in Schools were all initiatives under a National Government. They are all still there but unfortunately because they are not initiatives of this Government nothing much is happening with them. No improvements are being made no increases are being made and no expansion of Family Start is being made past the 16 areas it already works in. 
Today I have been reading  
Making New Zealand Fit for Children: 
 
a booklet from Unicef New Zealand. There are 40-odd pages about making New Zealand fit for children and lots of things in relation to social welfare policy or—what do we call it now—social development. I cannot find one thing in the booklet that says children need fathers. I look in there and cannot find one thing that says children need parents. There is nothing about that in there and of course that is exactly in line with this Government’s and this Minister’s views that it does not really matter about fathers. It does not really matter about what structure a family is but as long as it is a group of individuals who all feel like having the occasional group hug then that will be a family. 
Well that is not a family—not by a long shot. It does not matter how many programmes this Government brings in to operate in that area—and there will not be that many—because until we get some absolute basics right and a Minister in the chair who understands that families need to function before they can do their job we will not get any improvement. 
Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: Before the dinner break we were talking about things like food banks and the fact that they are still here and growing. There was a certain amount of cackling coming over from the Government side at those comments so fortuitously I just happen to have a report from today’s New Zealand Press Association that states: “Hard-up Northland families are resorting to living in cars during winter say emergency housing providers.” The date of the article is not 27 July 2000; it is 27 July 2004. It is today’s report and continues: “Whangarei services say they are fully booked as families flock to them after relationship break-ups or to escape over-crowding or abuse. Some of their worst cases include: A woman living in a van with her two daughters aged 7 and 14 for nearly four months.” What does the Minister say about that? The cases also include: “A woman and her two sons aged 4 and 11 sleeping in a car for a week.” and “A man in his 20s sleeping in a car with his 15-year-old brother for three days.” Whangarei services say that people are being forced out by expensive rents. They say it is the wet and cold weather that bring more people in—and the number is growing. They are saying that normally they get two or three calls a week and now they are getting 25 or more. 
That is what is happening under this Labour Government. So despite all the rhetoric and all the talk about how the Government is throwing money away—giving money here there and everywhere—the money is not getting where it needs to be. 
That brings me to the issue of young Maori. I am really pleased to see Tariana Turia back in the Chamber today and I am really pleased to see that even if I do not agree with everything she says she is a woman of principle. That is something this Labour Government is very very slack about. That woman actually does stand up for people and she does stand up for her own people even if her views are somewhat misguided sometimes. But we should give her her due. She has acknowledged that the party that has done the most for Maori New Zealand is the National Party. We should remember that today.