Sabin Mike: General Debate 
Sabin Mike: General Debate 
[Volume:677;Page:683] 
MIKE SABIN (National—Northland) 
: 
 It is with great pleasure that I take this first opportunity to speak in a debate in the House and speak to the issue which is very important to this nation of welfare reform. As a former police officer in Northland I can assure you that this is something very much at the forefront of this country’s future. I just wonder whether the member opposite who just resumed his seat Kris Faafoi was able to turn his attention from the pictures that he saw in the paper and alluded to and to flip it over. He would note that there is a very very positive editorial headed “Reforms aim to break welfare cycle” which shows some very very positive affirmation of the steps that the Minister for Social Development is making. Although pictures often paint an interesting story if the member took time to read the editorial he might find out an entirely different picture.  
I would like to acknowledge the Minister for Social Development for the commitment dedication and passion that she shows for this role and which no one can argue she does not have for this area. Welfare reform is a “must-do” on two levels: firstly because it is financially unsustainable but more important because the welfare system has become a welfare trap. The net result of this is that too many people in our nation often through no fault of their own are missing out on the opportunities to build a life and a career.  
A key focus of our reforms is to provide early and effective intervention to those people who are at the highest risk of long-term welfare—those who are essentially on a collision course with a benefit—and in particular those aged 16 and 17 with no education training and employment and teen parents who tragically are in a position where most of them will move on to an adult benefit by the time they are 18. I say that we can and should do better for these people.  
These young people are no different from so many others in New Zealand. They have hopes and dreams and when we ask what those dreams are we know that they will always struggle to achieve those while dependent on a welfare cheque. We owe it to them and to New Zealand to do better and that is exactly what this Government proposes to do.  
One of the fundamental failures in the lives of so many of those young people is the lack of parental guidance and importantly personal responsibility seems to play a very minor part in the lives of these vulnerable young people. So many of these young people lack even basic life skills and a sense of personal responsibility not to mention the education and training all of which significantly diminishes the opportunities for these young people.  
These reforms are aimed to provide wraparound mentoring support education and training to fill the gap that so many of these young people’s parents did not. It also provides good-quality child care to provide young teen parents with an opportunity to go out and strive for that life. These reforms will help young people to take control of their lives and their destinies again. An essential in achieving this is the youth support providers helping young people to manage their budgets helping young people to pay essential bills such as power and rent and giving them an allowance and a payment card to meet their living costs.  
I want to say that this is a vital circuit-breaker on two levels: firstly because it helps give young people control over their lives again and secondly because it ensures that the support that the State is providing is going towards helping them get into work and not simply perpetuating dependence. This is a tremendous investment in the lives of some 1400 young people currently not in education employment or training 3000 of whom are currently on benefits. These reforms are about investing in these young people and believing in them and their potential rather than writing them a welfare cheque and hoping for the best.