UNICEF NZ Supports Call For Children’s Minister

UNICEF NZ Supports Call For Children’s Minister

May 23, 2011 - UNICEF NZ (UN Children’s Fund), along with other child advocate organisations, has been pressing the case to appoint a Minister for Children for some years.

Dennis McKinlay, Executive Director of UNICEF NZ, is pleased with the policy commitment from the Labour Party and says it is far from an ‘election year gimmick’.

“Children are disempowered in our society – they do not vote, yet decisions of government impact on their present and their future in every way. Having a senior Minister at the Cabinet table, who knows about and bats for their interests and makes sure that policy and financial resources support children’s rights and healthy development, is a significant statement about the value we place on children,” he said.

The distinction must be made between the functions of a Minister, with political power for resourcing and influencing thinking across all Ministries, as opposed to the Commissioner for Children who is independent and has specific responsibilities not related to politics, “This needs to be well understood by politicians and the public,” Mr McKinlay said.

“A number of Ministries and Government agencies deal with issues for children, so it is a very fragmented, uncoordinated and poorly designed response to the many issues affecting children in New Zealand today,“ he added.

The point was emphatically made in a recent report to the NZ Government from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. It perhaps accounts for failure to adequately address such issues as child poverty, neglect, violence and under-achievement.

“We have a great deal of information from well informed sources about the state of children in New Zealand and also about the remedies that can be applied,” Mr McKinlay continued. “Investment in children should not be regarded as a cost to society. There is a growing body of evidence that it is the most cost effective way for governments to build a stable, sustainable and viable economy. It’s value for money.

“A Minister with senior ranking and authority to assess the impact of legislation and budgetary decisions on children is a step on the road to giving grist to the often quoted cliché that children are important in New Zealand. Our governments of any political persuasion always maintain that they are committed to improving children’s wellbeing and reducing the disparity between those who do well and those who are missing out. But a Minister who is informed, responsible and accountable for all matters concerning children can make the difference that is needed to ensure investment in children is adequate, effective and helps to build a healthy and productive future for us all.”

ENDS

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