Goodhew Jo: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
Goodhew Jo: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:653;Page:2465] 
JO GOODHEW (National—Rangitata) 
: 
 I rise to speak in this financial review of the Ministry of Social Development. Top of the list for the Social Services Committee when we conducted the financial review was capacity within the ministry capacity that currently existed during the financial year under review and capacity that we were able to look at in the 6 months since the review. Each of the committee’s members were very interested to hear what the ministry’s capacity was and how it would meet needs within the current economic climate. Topmost of just about every front page publication around the country is either a story about a potential redundancy or a business going under or things the Government or the community is doing to alleviate or deal with the current needs of those businesses and communities. 
First of all the select committee questioned the chief executive about the ministry’s capacity when it came to social workers. We were advised that its social worker numbers had stabilised and its turnover had significantly reduced. Although there was talk of a pay equity investigation for social workers it had become increasingly not necessary. At one time there was a difference of some 9 percent between male and female social workers’ pay but it was now down to just over 1 percent making the decision to can that pay equity investigation most appropriate. 
We also questioned the chief executive about value for money and we were heartened and very impressed to hear that there had been two value-for-money studies since 2005. In fact it was a priority for quite some time for this particular ministry to prepare itself to better meet the needs of New Zealanders. This sharpened the ministry’s pencil for the onslaught that has subsequently come and will continue to confront the ministry head-on. In gearing up for meeting the challenge the ministry told us about Community Link Centres and there are now five of those open around the country: in Flaxmere the original—I believe—in Linwood in Christchurch in Huntly in Naenae and in Ashburton. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: You’ve done nothing on those. 
JO GOODHEW 
: Members opposite are becoming rather upset. I have not for one minute claimed that this initiative is the work of the Government though I was absolutely delighted to welcome the Community Link Centre to Ashburton. It was the work of the community and the Ministry of Social Development and I was very pleased about that. Some 560 families have already been through Community Link Centres around the country and that is something to celebrate. In Community Link Centres those families can have their needs addressed all in one place. They are not traumatised by having to tell their story over and over again. 
The ministry also supported the Prime Minister’s Job Summit in Auckland and the regional and local summits around the country. It was at my local summit—the Aoraki summit—that I was really heartened by the number of fantastic ideas that came out of that community collaboration with community non-governmental organisations community business leaders and other types of community leaders all getting together and coming up with some great ideas of how they could work together and use Government resources to help that community to keep people in jobs. 
 I will also briefly touch on a programme called PATHS—Providing Access to Health Solutions. This is a programme that has been running for some time now. I am told that 1072 clients have participated in the programme in the year under review. Of those clients 20.1 percent found work 13.8 percent ceased to be on benefits and 6 percent increased their part-time earnings. Not for one minute am I pretending that the initiative was an initiative of this National Government. We are very supportive of a very good initiative that is working in New Zealand and we can certainly recognise good things when we see them in action. But it is apparent that this National Government needs to sharpen the focus because the ministry will have to do so much more work and will have to be very very clearly focused on the people in our community who will need assistance. In this time of economic hardship when families are under stress we know that Child Youth and Family must be more responsive than ever before to the stress within families and to rising unemployment. Thank you.