October 30, 2012.

Panel’s recommendations have merit

Kapiti Coast District Council will study the Palmer Panel’s recommendations on Local Government Reform with interest, says Kapiti Mayor Jenny Rowan.

“At a glance, some of the panel’s recommendations have merit but it is a substantial report at 200 pages and we will need time to digest it.

“From a quick read, it is clear panel members have listened to our concerns about the need for local representation, and that is good. They have left the issue of community boards open, and that is a discussion we have yet to hold.

“The idea of a single spatial plan for the region is a good one.

“I have a view that better representation is required for iwi, but this will require further teasing out and discussions with local iwi.”

Mayor Rowan said she and her colleagues would be taking a close look at the recommendations over the next several days. “At this early stage we do not have a ‘Council’ viewpoint yet.”

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>