Hon Peter Dunne
MP for Ohariu
Leader of UnitedFuture

Wednesday, 4 May 2011

UnitedFuture Leader Peter Dunne says it is now time to merge the Children's Commissioner with the Families Commission.

“Rolling the Office of the Children’s Commissioner into the Families Commission just makes sense,” Mr Dunne said.

“Much of what the two agencies do overlaps and is inter-related. The interests of families and children deeply entwined, and I believe a merger would strengthen their combined advocacy role, while maximising their value for money.”

“Currently both the Families Commission and the Office of the Children’s Commissioner share a common administration, so it is an obvious next step to merge them fully,” Mr Dunne said.

He said that unifying the two agencies would make it easier for parents and families to seek advice from “more of a one-stop-shop”.

“This is no slight on the new Children’s Commissioner, Dr Russell Wills, who is a very impressive appointment. However the part-time nature of his appointment clearly makes room for a more efficient, holistic and publicly accessible joint agency.

“The well-being of our children is dependent above all else on the strength of our families,” he said.

“A single commission focused on promoting the needs of families will, by definition, have a positive effect on the lives of children in New Zealand.”

ENDS

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