Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Licence needed for work use Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Feed The Kids Bill Deferred To July 10

Feed The Kids Bill Deferred To July 10

Hone Harawira, Leader of MANA and MP for Te Tai Tokerau

Tuesday 14 May 2013

“I’m grateful for the decision to defer the first reading of my Feed the Kids Bill until 10 July” said MANA leader and MP for Tai Tokerau, Hone Harawira.

“I’ve got a lot on over the next few weeks and the postponement means I can do justice to all my electorate activities and party leader responsibilities including the by-election in Ikaroa Rawhiti, as well as ensure the bill is given the promotion that it deserves”.

“It also gives me more time to persuade ACT, United Future, and National MPs that the Bill deserves to go to Select Committee.”

“Government recognises the need for food in schools programmes, and they clearly support the need for a public discussion on how best to run them here in Aotearoa. What I’m asking is simple: that they support the Bill at first reading so select committee can hear from experts and interested members of the public.”

“I am hugely grateful to those organisations involved in the ‘Community Campaign for Food in Schools’ for their support, and the NZ Food & Grocery Council for all their help as well. I am also grateful to Labour, Greens, NZ First, Maori Party, and Brendan Horan. I urge everyone to keep the focus on the main prize - feeding the kids.”

“I hear the Budget may include funding for a food-in-schools programme in conjunction with businesses, and that’s good, but feeding the kids should not have to rely on charity.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

“I agree with those commentators who say that the health and wellbeing of our children is primarily the responsibility of parents and communities, but where there are gaps created by economic decisions made at government level, then government must take up the responsibility until families and communities are capable of picking things up again.”

“And right now those gaps are simply too big for families to cope with. The Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group (EAG) on Solutions to Child Poverty estimated the economic cost of child poverty to be $6-8billion a year and said that around 270,000 NZ children were living in poverty.”

“The problem is beyond the ability of individual families to deal with, and requires a structured governmental approach to eliminating poverty and enabling whanau to reclaim control of their lives. And while all that’s being sorted out my Feed the Kids Bill will make sure that the kids don’t go hungry”.

“As the EAG pointed out, we need to spend in the short-term to prevent the longer-term negative impacts of child poverty - especially in terms of health and education impacts”.

“We have the time to change things now. I hope we have the courage.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

Featured News Channels