Tolley AnneHon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister for Children): I would like to take a quick call to talk to some of the issues that have been raised. I want to pick up on what Denise Roche from the Greens said that a society can be judged on how it treats its most vulnerable and I think if you take that saying then this Government has much to be extremely proud of. I know that the Opposition does not like it and it keeps arguing against it but if you look at some of the most vulnerable in our communities they are people who are reliant on the benefit. Benefits are supposed to be a hand up not a handout. This Government was the first Government in 43 years to increase the benefit directly to beneficiaries who had a family. [Interruption] It does not like it; it tries to dispute it but actually for all the time that Labour was in power and it talks big about looking after the vulnerable this Government led by John Key a National Party - led Government increased the benefits to family members with children. Ninety thousand - odd families which is about 170000 children in New Zealand directly benefited from this Government.It is all very well for people to talk about Auckland but I can tell you that $25 a week every week goes a hang of a long way in places like Ōpōtiki in Wairoa in Taumarunui in Te Kūiti in Kaitāia—some of the areas with some of the poorest people in this country. Twenty-five dollars a week has made an enormous difference to those children and their families. What is more we increased the take-home Working for Families for those low-income families and very low-income families. The Opposition hates it; it never gives us any credit for it but this Government looked after some of the most vulnerable people in its community.While we are talking about vulnerable people I want to talk about the magnificent effort that New Zealand's sole parents have made over the last 8 9 years to get themselves out of welfare into employment and independence and supporting their own families. That is an enormous step for a young mum or dad to take when they have that enormous responsibility of raising their own children. I pay tribute to the fact that we have seen that number of sole parents reliant on the taxpayer for support reducing by 57 percent since 2009. That is well over half of those sole parents who have backed themselves—we have been there with them—and they have gone on to work and independence.That is important because we want to break the cycle of dependence. On this side of the Chamber we want to break that cycle and we know that those 60000 children who are no longer growing up in benefit-dependent homes—we know that is important because we know that if a child grows up in a benefit-dependent home they are twice as likely to go on to a benefit themselves before the age of 23 and we know that if they go on to a benefit before that age they are most likely to spend 14 or 15 of their adult years on a benefit. That is no life for New Zealand's children. Some of the most vulnerable children in our community—this Government not only cares about those vulnerable members of our community but is doing something tangible about them.Then I come to the overhaul of perhaps the most vulnerable children of the lot the overhaul of Child Youth and Family—well long overdue. Child Youth and Family has been restructured 14 times and if you go out and talk to the community they say those amazing changes to the law in 1989 were not put into practice. Well we are determined on this side of the Chamber to make sure that every single New Zealand child gets the opportunity to have a great successful life—even those children who for some reason or another have to be taken into State care. They deserve to have the best lives ever and it is time that the State stood up and took responsibility. I am very proud to be part of a Government that is doing that and is determined to make the changes that will happen over the next 4 to 5 years as we work in partnership with a whole variety of groups in our community. Iwi are ready to take responsibility for their children; they want to be part of the new Ministry for Vulnerable Children Oranga Tamariki. They know that they have a place to play. There are Māori organisations; there are NGOs. This Government is determined to make sure that every single New Zealand child gets a great life.