Stewart Barbara: Future Directions (Working for Families) Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Procedure 
Stewart Barbara: Future Directions (Working for Families) Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Procedure 
[Volume:617;Page:13471] 
BARBARA STEWART (NZ First) 
: 
 New Zealand First will be supporting this legislation. It is the low and middle income families that this bill is designed for and I was quite amazed last night at the focus in the House on the  
Holmes  
poll. We know that most low and middle income people in New Zealand do not spend their money on ringing the  
Holmes 
 poll. 
Hon David Carter 
: What? 
BARBARA STEWART 
: It is not the low and the middle income people. 
Hon David Carter 
: So the $100000 people sit there and text? 
BARBARA STEWART 
: They bother phoning in; the low-income people do not. That money can be spent elsewhere. This legislation is good news for New Zealand families. We have looked at the legislation again overnight and heard the public and we are seeking an amendment to move the dates forward. We challenge United Future and Labour to support this amendment. We know that in New Zealand we have children and adolescents who go without basic health-care proper food clothing and a good education. New Zealand is not a Third World country. We want our children to have the best. 
The Government’s own report shows that nearly one-third of New Zealand children live in poverty. The Ministry of Social Development stated in its report that many poor families with children were missing out on the basics. The hardships facing these families included not having adequate or sufficient fresh fruit and vegetables a lack of warm clothing or raincoats having to put up with worn-out shoes because of cost not having glasses because of cost not visiting medical practitioners not having a telephone or a washing machine and putting up with cold because of cost; children having to live in overcrowded situations and not being able to afford to attend birthday parties because they cannot buy a gift; children who do not have birthday parties because their parents cannot afford the expense. 
We want our children in New Zealand to have the best. We once led the world in the care of our children and we need to lead the world again. Ongoing child poverty can cause serious problems in the future. We all know that poverty during childhood has impacts across a child’s whole life setting off a series of potential problems that are cumulative and affect both health and educational outcomes. Poverty is a terrible state. The desperation of poverty is also an important consideration in the despair that leads to attempted suicide for some young people. 
New Zealand First believes that child poverty has a major though largely hidden cost to society that will compromise future human and intellectual capital. We were pleased to see that improvements were made to the Government policies because children must be a priority for policy if we are to make the most of the future for all New Zealanders. The well-being of our children affects the well-being of our nation and that is the bottom line. Ignoring the needs of children incurs costs in the future from increased unemployment poor health mental health problems and low educational achievement. Child poverty must be eliminated if New Zealand is to reach its full potential. Supporting families who are struggling to make ends meet is a good investment. It is clear that children achieve more at school when they have good nutrition and secure homes and that they then have greater opportunities in the future. 
We believe that this is really vital legislation. We want to see the improvements that will be made for our children. We are really pleased to see the improvements made to childcare assistance. We will be pushing to have the dates moved forward because we support this legislation.