Oral Submission: Ipr&C Act 2001 Amendment Bill No.3

TO THE HEALTH SELECT COMMITTEE

Videoconferencing to hear oral submissions on the Bill in Christchurch From 9am Wednesday 27th October 2004 At Ubix Onestop 136 Moorhouse Ave Christchurch.

Kia Ora My name is Stacy Becker I'm the Youth /Student Rep of Acclaim Canterbury Incorporated The issue I bring to the committee's attention is that the Children and Students of New Zealand are a vulnerable group, and therefore warrant particular attention in respect of The IPR&C ACT 2001 and the Amendment Bill NO 3. At no time throughout this bill have children / youth / or students been consulted in any way, shape or form. The Minister of ACC has a statutory duty to consult the interests of the public, not forgetting that children are also the public, levy payers, claimants and potential claimants and chose not to do so. Even though they are autonomous rights holders, the youth is dependent on others to give effect to their rights (For example, they rely on parents or caregivers to act on their behalf). This reliance is partly due to their developmental needs, with children of younger ages being especially dependent on others to meet their basic and evolving needs. As children grow, they are able to exercise their rights in an increasingly independent manner - but this relies upon their stage of development, support for any disability and the nature of the rights they are exercising. Infants and young children are completely dependent on others, primarily adults, for all their needs. This stage of high dependency requires other people to ensure that the full and indivisible rights of the young child are met. These rights include provision of the basic necessities of life. While there is recognition of the duties of parents, guardians and caregivers, the Injury Prevention Rehabilitation and Compensation Act's

STATES: The need to avoid substantial disruption to the employment or other actives of household members

And this is not happening

There is also an obligation to ensure ACC conforms to a standard in care of youth in this country. The concept of children as dependents can, however, have a negative outcome if they are viewed as 'not being whole or complete'. This is especially true for disabled children, for whom societal support to meet their needs, irrespective of their disability, may be difficult, as it is subject to Many judgements about their disability and indeed, their inherent value as disabled children. Children live, learn and grow, not in isolation, but as part of families, whanau and communities. A life-cycle approach is useful for understanding this when children move from dependence to interdependence to independence. At each stage this allows children to exert greater power to act on their own behalf. Positive relationships between young people and adults are critical to this transition and to the shaping of attitudes towards others. Partnerships, and the relationships that evolve from them, recognise the importance of change and the need to view differing world perspectives in order to meet the best interests of the child. As a young person reaches a level of independence, there is a degree of autonomy involved in the transition. The right to participate in decision-making becomes an important measure at this stage, but it is not at the cost of other rights. While young people may have a sense of independence through reliance on self and a movement away from the family unit, they are still in a position of vulnerability as they often have to 'negotiate' to obtain basic rights. This frequently occurs in and when accessing information about ACC entitlements.

The extent to which children and young people in New Zealand are able to fully enjoy their basic rights is dependent on the extent to which all people in New Zealand enjoy human rights. Equally, a society that meets the basic rights of its children to an ACC system is building a future in which all its CHILDREN AND STUDENTS are more likely to enjoy their human rights.

So my question to you all today is why were the Children of New Zealand overlooked in this Amendment Bill NO 3 and why the children of New Zealand have not been given there rights in your so-called 24 hour no fault, no cost accident insurance cover.

Thank-you for your Time.

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