Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill

I move, That the Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill be now read a third time. Many of us in this House think that we are very important. Many of us in this House, particularly on a day such as this, talk about our members’ bills, about getting “my” bill through, and about having the House’s support for “my” bill. This bill certainly carries my name, but this is not my bill.

I want to go through some dates that are very important, because they have led to this place and this time, and to a night where once again these children got caught by politics. Once again these children got caught in the game that some people play inside this House with legislation. We go back originally to 1999 and to a woman by the name of Di Vivian, who a year before had become a grandparent raising grandchildren and realised how little there was by way of support for kin caring—how children uplifted in exactly the same circumstances and placed with strangers were given support by the State, by their country, by their Government, by their society, but when placed with those who had a blood relationship to them, they received none. It is Di Vivian whose name should be on the top of this bill. It is Di Vivian who should be standing here and being acknowledged when finally this bill goes through this House.

Di Vivian started in 1999, and in May 2001 the Evening Post reported: “Grandparents are ready to march through the streets if the Government continues to ignore their concerns, says the national co-ordinator of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Diane Vivian.” That was back in 2001. In September 2005 Helen Clark promised that the approximately 700 grandparents and carers who received superannuation would get the same payments as any foster parent. In December of that year the then social development Minister, David Benson-Pope, made a public statement that the longstanding anomaly between relatives and non-kin foster parents would be addressed in the 2006 Budget. That Budget came and it went, and this promise was not delivered. In June 2008 the then social development Minister, Ruth Dyson, announced a decision to give $24.6 million over 4 years to the more than 7,500 caregivers, including many grandparents, who were, at that time, parenting more than 10,300 children who could not be looked after by their parents. However, it was not quite what it was made to look like in that press release. Because although, certainly, there was some equality being promised, firstly, it was delayed until an implementation date of 1 April 2009, and, secondly, it did not include the add-on payments such as the clothing allowance—hence this bill.

But we go on. So in 2009 it was placed inside the Budget for 1 April 2009, and it was to be delivered on. We all know, however, that an election happened in 2008, and so there came a change of Government. The big fear at that time for the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust and kin carers was: “We’re going to get caught again.” They were caught inside a political environment not of their making. These are merely children who need clothes.

But now I want to actually acknowledge the previous Minister for Social Development, Paula Bennett, because Paula Bennett, and the National Government, delivered on that Budget promise in 2009. They promised parity with non-caregivers around the unsupported child’s benefit, and they delivered it. It was also that Minister, and a National Government, who provided 500 respite care places a year for grandchildren and a week-long holiday health camp programme. That was incredibly well received by the grandparents and the communities that actually look after these children, many of whom have physical, emotional, and intellectual disabilities. The respite that that provided was greatly welcomed. In June 2012 this Minister, Paula Bennett, also announced a tailored version of a Toolbox parenting group that was to be provided free for grandparents raising grandchildren.

I am sure that there are people out there, if they have managed to stay up this late and sit through the last lots of debate while waiting for this bill, who will be wondering why I am actually paying this sort of respect to the Hon Paula Bennett because I sit on this side of the House. I am doing so because it is not my bill. I am doing so because she deserves it. She took the promises made by a previous Government and she made sure they were implemented. She went further—

💬 Jacinda Ardern: In 2018.

No, give it a minute, give it a minute; we will get to that. But let us be clear about who delivered what, and let us be honest, and let us give credit where credit is due. This should not be about politics; this should be about the children. I take on board that comments should not come from either side, to be frank. This is not about politics; this about these children.

There was a ministerial task force in late 2013, and I know that the Hon Paula Bennett put her neck out inside her Cabinet and inside her caucus when she announced $10 million every year for 4 years to deliver around the school and year start-up payment, the establishment grant for when children first come into the home, and also for the Extraordinary Care Fund. So I acknowledge her, and I do so with no problem whatsoever, because the facts are the facts and they should be known.

This started with Di Vivian. Without her we would not be here, but it was Ministers who took it up. I wanted to acknowledge, and I did acknowledge, that Ruth Dyson put it in the Budget, and at that time it did not cover the clothing allowance—neither did what was delivered by the Hon Paula Bennett. It is not a criticism of either party; it is the fact of the reality of history.

What we have now is the recognition that I need to apologise to the caregivers and the kin carers now, because although I believe that there has been a will on the part of the Hon Paula Bennett, and I believe there is obviously a will inside this House, to deliver for these children, I have had to put in a delayed implementation date. There are many reasons for that, and all of them are political. All of them are political, all of them are financial, and none of them have anything to do with those children.

So I apologise, and I apologise with a but. I hate doing that, but I apologise because I felt that it was more important to get this equity etched into legislation so that it cannot be removed. It is much harder to remove equity out of legislation than it is to put it in. So although I apologise that the implementation date is not where you want it to be because I could not advocate well enough to get it there, I acknowledge the history of where we have come to at this point. I acknowledge the need. I acknowledge it, and I commit right now that whether I am in this House or out of this House I will watch the 2018 Budget and I will do whatever I can do, wherever I am—and you ask anybody who is on a select committee with me how I can advocate—to make sure that every party that said that it supported this bill maintains this promise, whoever is writing that Budget in 2018. Kia ora.

It is a privilege and an honour to take a call on this third reading of the Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill. I just want to acknowledge Tracey Martin, who is the sponsor of the bill, a member’s bill. The words that she has shared, with passion and with desire and with commitment, are reflective of Mrs Martin and her desire to see that this bill is championed not only in the select committee but also through legislation, so that it does achieve the intended result, which is to have clothing parity.

If we were to simplify the bill—and it is not a large bill but it is a bill that makes amendments that are actually very important—the amendments are not large; they are small but they are effective. I suppose it is reflective of the children Mrs Martin is talking about. There are often children who are unseen and unheard, and they are vulnerable, and yet although they are small, they are actually very important. So I think—and we acknowledge—that the bill is important.

Although Mrs Martin talked about politics, politics is also about leadership, and I think that is what is important here. It is the leadership that is shown to be able to take up that response. At the same time too it is the sort of leadership that politics has, and I want to state this on the record for those who are listening out there, because it actually reflects on both sides of the House. Whoever is governing at that point in time is weighing up a number of different options. So you have got kin carers, you have got unsupported children and orphans—vulnerable children—and on the other hand you have got education and you have got health. There are lots of demands where you have to balance the aspect of where you put your resources to best reflect the needs in regard to where they are at.

So I want to take up the points that Mrs Martin has put around that. Actually, the Hon Paula Bennett did take up the concern and champion the cause to ensure that $10 million was set aside to ensure that the kin carers and also grandparents raising grandchildren were actually represented. One of the things that both Mrs Martin and I did work on, and she made it very clear, was the ministerial reference group. That was chaired by Katherine Rich, and also Diane Vivian was there, who was a bundle of energy and joy. But at the same time too she was constantly advocating, and I think if there is one person I know who is such a strong advocate it is Diane Vivian. And I too want to acknowledge Diane Vivian for her role in the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust. She actually conducted a survey, and in regard to the results of that survey she wanted to say that her points were evidence-based. I think that was really important because that was also what she put on the table as well.

I want to acknowledge Linda Surtees from Fostering Kids, who, again, was also a very strong advocate, and when we were talking about clothing parity for foster carers and kin carers, she too understood the importance of ensuring that was there as well. Also, the famous Katie Murray from all the way up in the far north, who reminded us very clearly that there are a number of Māori children who were actually in this situation and who were vulnerable. In fact, they made up the largest proportion of children who are in care. Of the 12,000 who are in care, at least a third if not more of those children were Māori and were actually part of Māori whānau and family as well. I think that her advocacy along with the others was absolutely important to this.

Along with the reference group, though—I want to make mention of this—Mrs Martin made it really clear that all of the things that we were doing, the Extraordinary Care Fund and so forth, were not around the clothing parity. She made sure that the bill would find a passage so that it actually had a way of addressing those areas of concern as well.

I too want to commend Mrs Martin, and I want to talk just briefly about some of the points that we have been sharing here. One of the ones is around kin carers. We know that there are 12,000 children who are in care. I think the thing is that the issues that have been the cause of that also need to be of concern. These are vulnerable children, whether it be because of the death of parents, either both or one, or whether it be through the breakdown in the family. It could also be through abuse and neglect. Often we heard the stories of when there was a knock on the door and there were these children who were bundled up and taken over to the care of grandparents, who often then had to readjust their own lives to be able to accommodate the care of these children. We believed that it was really important that we needed to address this as well. So in acknowledging kin carers, and this bill has brought them to the forefront, we can now acknowledge that not only are there foster carers but there are kin carers, and we acknowledge the role that they play.

I also want to talk about the Toolbox parenting groups that Mrs Martin has been talking about because I think that is quite critical. So along with the Grandparents Raising Children Trust and Parenting Place, one of the things that Diane Vivian talked about was the fact that often carers are in their twilight years. Here are grandparents heading towards retirement, and all of a sudden they are faced with having to raise children again. So they then have to readjust their lives, so the work that has been done through the Government and through the Ministry of Social Development is to be able to partner with The Parenting Place to set up Toolbox parenting groups that allow them to have what they call a refresher course, really. I know that a number of grandparents have appreciated that as well.

The other area that I think has been important, which is relating to the bill and is in support of the bill, is in regard to the Extraordinary Care Fund. I do remember that in one of our reference group meetings it was actually Katie Murray who brought up this point. She said that when we have these children in our care there comes a time when you want to lift them out of the challenges that they face. They are often emotionally, physically, and psychologically traumatised. So how do you then find a pathway for them to be able to reach their full potential? That is what she talked about. She then said: “What if there was an opportunity to have a fund that allowed them to do extra things that would support the development of these children’s potential?”. That is actually what has happened out of that. One of the recommendations was the Extraordinary Care Fund.

I am happy to report to the House that 300 children and young people have benefited from this. In fact, the fund now gives grants of up to $2,000 per child, and in this round of funding we have distributed 360,000 of those. The areas that the fund goes towards are extra tutoring for kids who are struggling in school, for instance, or orthodontic work not funded by the Ministry of Health. It covers costs to attend national and regional sports tournaments. In fact, Katie talked about that, and that for the children she was caring for, and other carers whom she knew of, there was a chance that they could actually then maybe represent a regional sports team. This was a great chance to be able to give them confidence. It was an opportunity to be able to build on their potential, and then, hopefully, out of their confidence and their potential, it would bring them out of the trauma that they were currently facing and experiencing, and actually give them a sense of hope to be able to develop their full potential as well, and we think that is important.

One of the things the fund has also gone towards is music lessons where the child can progress ahead of their peers as well. Only 36 of those applicants were unsuccessful in the inaugural funding round, and so we think that has provided extra support to these children. Again, the key areas that have come out of the words of the grandparents raising grandchildren and the kin carers is this: they want their children to thrive, they want them to achieve, and they want them to belong, and that is really important as well.

One of the other areas of support that goes with this bill is around the dedicated person at Work and Income. This actually is important, because although we have got the bill that is in place, one of the complexities and challenges that have come out of the ministerial reference group’s conversations was often them going to explain their situation to Work and Income. Grandparents were unsure, because it was often their own children, obviously, and how would they explain some of the challenges that they faced—that there was a breakdown in the family, or abuse and neglect? So what has actually happened is that the Government has ensured that Work and Income has assigned a manager at the national office to work with the grandparents raising grandchildren, and field officers, to ensure that there is sensitivity and understanding, but also that the pathway to receiving the support is one that is a lot more seamless, and that the grandparents will receive the support that they need as well.

I just conclude my remarks—and I do take on board what Mrs Martin has said, which is that there is a commitment that has to be made—a promise has been indicated in this bill. Yes, we know that the start date for this bill has been delayed to 2018. I think that is a good omen, obviously, for the 2017 election for the National Government, which will continue to keep its promises—not only to Mrs Martin, because, as she said, this bill is not about her; actually, this is about the children, it is about the grandchildren, and it is about the kin carers.

So I conclude my remarks by acknowledging you, Tracey Martin, for your advocacy and your championing, and also acknowledging Diane Vivian, a champion for grandparents raising grandchildren; Linda Surtees, for Fostering Kids; Katie Murray up in the far north; and also all of the other grandparents raising grandchildren and kin carers who are out there. We desire and hope that all the support that has been given, even through this bill, will be of much support. Finally, as I said, these children will not only reach their full potential but they will thrive, they will achieve, and they will belong. I commend this bill to the House.

I am going to be very brief, because on this side of the House we are still optimistic that if the Government does indeed support this bill it will see it passed tonight.

I want to restrict my comments to, really, only three things. First, my thanks to Tracey Martin, because even though, as she has so humbly and eloquently put it, she does not consider this bill to be hers, every bill needs a champion, and she has been an excellent champion. So I thank her for her work. We have got to acknowledge people like Di Vivian and the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust for their work and their advocacy. Yes, this has had a long history—no one is denying that—but we owe it to them to move swiftly on something as important as this. Finally, I acknowledge the small, lost opportunities that we have had. We have not quite achieved parity with this bill. If we were achieving parity, we would extend to those who are receiving the unsupported child’s benefit all of the special allowances that a foster carer receives. There are more allowances than just a clothing allowance. We will continue to campaign for all of those additional benefits to be received until absolute parity is reached.

Finally, it is not Tracey Martin’s fault that this is not coming in until 2018. She absolutely did her best. There have been many reasons given on that side of the House as to why it has been delayed; I do not think any of them stack up. In 2018 that Government might not even be in office. So at least we can give this guarantee: it is our intention that we will be in office, and we absolutely guarantee this bill will be implemented as soon as we reach office. That is the guarantee that we give. The reason why I am still so disappointed that we are waiting that long is because all of us received these letters and these images from children asking for us to put this through immediately. I will leave my final words to the note I received that said: “I am nearly 5 years old. Please do not make me wait till 2018 for the clothing allowance. Grandma and grandad are on a pension.” I do not even think they should have to wait longer than tonight.

It gives me a great honour to rise and speak to this third reading of the Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill. To start with a quote from Victor Hugo, “Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” I think the time for Tracey Martin’s idea has come. I think it is time for her bill to be passed into legislation. I acknowledge Tracey Martin. I am yet to have a member’s bill pulled out of the ballot myself, so I congratulate her on following this bill right through the legislative process.

I also want to take some time to acknowledge Tracey Martin for sharing some of her personal stories with us at previous readings to give this bill a context and a background. It is very much something to remind ourselves that in a country like New Zealand, it is our personal stories and our experiences that bind us together and move this proud nation forward.

While we are talking about the care of children, I just want to acknowledge that yesterday was the International Day of the Midwife. New Zealand has a world-leading midwifery system, and I think we need to take time to acknowledge yesterday’s International Day of the Midwife. I know that from personal experience. Obviously I did not use the service for myself, but my wife did last year. It is a fantastic service, especially for new parents who obviously do not have an instruction book and are learning as they go. To engage with your midwife at the start of the pregnancy and to have her support the whole way through, from birth to aftercare, is an amazing support. I worked for a number of years for the British National Health Service, and I know for a fact that it does not have the level of care in midwifery and the same system of the continuity of care of one midwife through. So I just acknowledge midwives in New Zealand.

This bill is about supporting children’s development. We know that children’s development is important. If a child does not develop rightly or correctly or go through the right transition of developmental stages, this can cause problems and poor outcomes during their teenage years and later on in their lives. We know that for children, especially from the ages of 0 to 3 years, their brains are being hard-wired at this stage and there is a great amount of neurological development. In fact, I went to a breakfast in the Grand Hall here a few weeks ago, hosted by the Brainwave Trust, which promotes understanding, research, and evidence around neurological development with young people. It is a very important stage of their lives, and it is an amazing commitment that kin carers make to step in and support young children at this stage to ensure that they get the best start in life, and to ensure that they reach their full potential.

Of course, not all kin carers will be supporting young children. Some will be stepping in at the age of a young adult. We know from our own experiences—I am sure that everyone in this House will know—that it is an important developmental stage being a young adult and moving into adulthood, and there are a lot of issues going on around the time of pubescence to do with identity, and making that transition towards supporting yourself. We do know that young people need good role models and they need good support systems round them. That is why this bill is right about supporting kin carers who step in to keep young people on the right track to making them productive citizens in New Zealand.

I used to work in the Tavistock Clinic in London. It is where the attachment theory was developed by Bowlby. We know that young people who have a strong attachment to people in their lives, whether it be their biological parents or kin carers, will go on to lead very productive lives. So it is about supporting this. It actually reminds me very much of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. We know that young people have physiological needs around food, water, shelter, and air, and you can describe clothing as a physiological need for a young person. We know that young people need safety from violence and abuse. But it is also about love and belonging. I think that this is what this bill represents about supporting carers who take the decision to step in and provide love and belonging to young people who are not biologically their children.

I think it is right that the Government takes steps to support these carers in any way it can. I do not think it is right that foster carers currently get this allowance but unsupported carers do not. It is great that this bill will give them parity. We know, with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, that those young people who progress up that triangle go on to have self-esteem, confidence, and to make the right decisions in life. Of course, the top is around the self-actualising of reaching their full potential. We know that we hope and aim for every young person in this country to go on and reach their full potential, to be productive, and to drive New Zealand forward.

This member’s bill will give orphans and unsupported children a clothing allowance parity with foster children. Currently, orphans and unsupported children, including some who are looked after by their grandparents, miss out on a clothing allowance that is available to foster children. The bill seeks more parity between the financial entitlements for orphans and unsupported children and the financial entitlements for foster carers.

The purpose of this bill is to increase financial support for kin carers who are looking after children, such as grandparents raising grandchildren. The Social Services Committee has suggested inserting a new section into the Social Security Act 1964 to add a clothing allowance for caregivers who receive an orphans benefit. This addition will ensure children are treated equally regardless of their circumstances and who their caregiver is.

We know that there are up to 12,000 New Zealand children being cared for by wider family members. That is 12,000—that is a considerable group of young people in New Zealand. This might be because of the death of a parent or a breakdown in a family arrangement. I know for myself, dealing with constituents in my area, that I am supporting examples of this relationship. One couple, who were actually friends of the biological parents, decided to step in and look after two young kids. There was another example where grandparents decided to step in and look after a very young child.

I know from my own experience—I am learning very quickly as a new parent—the commitment, the patience, and the resources that you need to be an effective parent. I can only imagine what it is like to step in to this arrangement with kin carers and to continue to provide those things. I think that needs to be applauded, and that it is right that we are ensuring parity for the clothing allowance between foster carers and carers of orphans and unsupported children.

This is part of a bigger picture—the White Paper for Vulnerable Children—committing an extra $10 million to provide further support for kin carers. The $10 million, which is a capped fund, has the agreement of the Minister for Social Development that they will work with Tracey Martin to look at providing further financial assistance to kin carers in a better, more targeted way. There is a ministerial reference group that has been formed, which includes representatives from the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust, which is currently working through options on how this extra funding will be applied. This member’s bill will give orphans and unsupported children clothing allowance parity, and I commend it to the House. Thank you.

It is with a slight sense of frustration that I am going to get only a minute to speak on this bill and that it is not going to pass tonight because we have had very long, rambling speeches from Government members on bills that have unanimous support in this House. So often those speeches were not on topic and that has resulted in us being unable to pass this bill, which is fundamentally about supporting orphans and unsupported children in this country. That, to me, is a pretty embarrassing reality for this House. Even though, again—another embarrassing reality—that support would not kick in until 2018 because, again, of the miserliness and penny-pinching of this Government, which is prepared to spend several million dollars on a flag referendum that nobody wants. It is spending more money on that than it would have cost to give equality to these children with a clothing allowance, which was initially intended by the member.

Debate interrupted.

The House adjourned at 10 p.m.