Dark-side warning for new family body on opening day

Social Development Minister Steve Maharey has told the new Families Commission not to "romanticise" families.

Opening the commission's Auckland office yesterday, he said many families were "not great places to be".

"There are huge issues around abuse that we as a society ought to be ashamed of," he said. "Those statistics are issues we have to confront.

"These private issues are issues we have to talk about publicly.

"We don't get on top of domestic violence by saying it's a private issue and no one should talk about it."

The commission, which has yet to appoint all its staff, has added family violence prevention to its work programme, which is starting with a study of the factors that make "successful families".

United Future leader Peter Dunne told a small crowd at the Auckland office that New Zealand needed to become much better at helping parents and encouraging them to ask for help when they needed it.

"We have become too good in this country at developing high-level solutions, then trying to fit people into them," he said.

"We need to say, where are the pressure points? Where are the problems? Then tailor our solutions accordingly."

Q. What is the Families Commission?

A. The commission was set up by the Families Commission Act 2003 to be "an advocate for the interests of families". It comprises a fulltime Chief Commissioner, Dr Rajen Prasad, five part-time commissioners and eventually 23 paid staff.

Q. Why was it created?

A. Helen Clark's Labour Party agreed to create the commission as part of a deal with Peter Dunne's United Future party after the 2002 election to get its support to form a Government.

United Future originally proposed a Commission for the Family to "ensure all policy development reflects the fundamental needs of families and their children".

It wanted a commission that included a "family support agency" providing family mediation, parenting education and increased intervention for at-risk children, as well as policy advice.

Labour left the hands-on services in existing agencies such as Relationship Services and Child, Youth and Family, and created the Families Commission as an independent body for research, advice and advocacy.

Q. What has it done so far?

A. The commission's first big project is a study of the factors that produce "successful outcomes" for families with children.

This includes examining how parenting responsibilities are shouldered in two-parent, single-parent, step-parent and blended families.

Staff have almost completed a review of published material on the issues and the commission expects to finalise a consultation document in the next five weeks.

It plans to send out 2000 questionnaires to community groups and schools at the beginning of April, asking families for their own views on what works.

It will organise focus groups, then produce a series of reports.

The commission also issued a press statement after National leader Don Brash's Orewa spech last month, saying he was "driving a wedge" between two groups of families.

The statement, approved by a full meeting of the commission, said Dr Brash was separating out families on the domestic purposes benefit and portraying them as "holding New Zealand back".

"This view does not take into account the ways families' circumstances and needs change," it said. "The public policy debate on families should be carefully considered so that all families, working and beneficiary, are appropriately supported."

Q. What else is on the agenda?

A. Other projects on the agenda include:

* Assessing the effect of Government policies on family formation, size, breakup, living arrangements and functioning.

* Reviewing the effectiveness of the $43 million which the Government gives each year for parenting education.

* Examining information on families from long-term studies of people born in particular years in Christchurch and Dunedin, and developing a new long-term study on family functioning.

* Research on families living with older people and people with disabilities.

* Research on preventing family violence.

Q. Does it have a long-term future?

National Party welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins says that if National wins this year's election it will review the commission's future on the basis of what it has achieved.

"So far in the first six months they have charged up $36,000 in air fares," she said.

"They have seven people who are involved in communications and about nine researchers.

"Unless they can show that they can do something useful and can come out with helpful suggestions in terms of public policy, then their career prospects are slightly bleak."

Q. How can I contact the commission?

A. Auckland: 5th floor, AMI House, 63 Albert St, no phone number yet.
Wellington: Public Trust Building, 117-125 Lambton Quay, 04 917 7040