Editorial: Too-heavy penalties do kids no favours

Rotorua MP Todd McClay

Twenty million dollars can buy a lot of books, school shoes and meals.

That's the amount of child support - $21,825,869 to be precise - owed by Rotorua parents at the end of this financial year.

It sounds a huge amount, and it is. But, as we report today, about three quarters of that is penalty fees for payments being late or unpaid.

Which means in fact children are not missing out $20 million, as the penalty fees go direct to the Government.

It makes sense to have penalty fees to encourage payments to be made on time. However, when those penalties spiral into a massive pile of debt that seems impossible to ever repay, it must discourage parents from even bothering. That's why Rotorua MP Todd McClay's private member's bill makes sense.

The purpose of child support is to support a person's child. Children should not be missing out because their dad (in the overwhelming amount of cases, although mums owe money too) is paying all his spare money to the Government in penalties.

Reducing the penalty fees is worth a shot. There is still a consequence for missing payments, which keeps the deterrence element, while taking a more realistic approach.

Of course, that plan will only work if parents want to take responsibility for financially supporting their children.

Sadly, it seems some in Rotorua and around the country are actively finding ways to avoid their obligations to their offspring. If anyone should be punished it's them, not those who are struggling to do the right thing by their kids.