Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:676;Page:21412] 
8. 
GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does he believe Te Whetu Tawera the acute mental health unit of the Auckland District Health Board is functioning to a high standard; if so why? 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Associate Minister of Health) 
on behalf of the Minister of Health: Yes because an independent report completed last month on Te Whetu Tawera has found that overall the service is functioning to a high standard. I am also aware that the Mental Health Commission visited the service and agrees with the findings of this independent report. 
Grant Robertson 
: Why did Associate Minister Jonathan Coleman tell the  
New Zealand Herald 
 that the unit was functioning to a high standard when assaults at the unit tripled between 2009 and 2010 with 213 assaults over the past year including 131 on staff? 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN 
: That is actually a separate issue to the core question of whether the unit is functioning at a high standard. The independent evidence backed up by the Mental Health Commission says that it is in direct contrast to how it was functioning under the Labour Government. 
Grant Robertson 
: How could Associate Minister Coleman say the unit was operating to a high standard when bed numbers have had to be cut in order to ensure staff safety and it is not possible to fill staff vacancies because of fear of safety issues? 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN 
: The reason that it has been difficult to recruit staff to that unit is that under the Labour Government morale in that unit plummeted. That is backed up by two reports in 2007 and 2008 that were very critical of clinical management there and the lack of action of the last Government. This latest independent report shows that there has been a marked improvement in the culture and in the way that patients are managed. Under this Government there has been real improvement at that unit and the evidence backs that up. 
Grant Robertson 
: Can the Minister really tell the House that there has been improvement under his Government when assaults at the unit tripled between 2009 and 2010 with 213 assaults over the last year including 131 assaults on staff? How is that a unit functioning at a high standard? 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN 
: What I can say is that the independent objective reports show that there has been dramatic improvement under this Government in marked contrast to the absolute mess that the Labour Government had left that unit in when we came into Government. 
Grant Robertson 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This will be a little bit difficult because that was not a question that I had written down; it was a response to a supplementary answer. I do not believe that the Minister addressed my question which asked how he could make the statement about the unit operating at a high standard given those statistics. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member should just reflect on what he said. He asked the Minister how he could make such a statement. The Minister’s answer was because of this independent report. That is a perfectly legitimate answer to that question. There is not a lot I can do about that.