$200k summit canned
The Families Commission has axed a $200,000 “summit” for 150 people at Waipuna Lodge, after Paula Bennett raised concerns about its appropriateness in today’s challenging economy. Paula sets a great example for other Ministers, and jut you wait – the $200,000 summits are the tips of the iceberg. Then there are the multi million advertising campaigns.
Ms Bennett acknowledged the Families Commission conference was proposed a year ago in good economic times by its previous commissioner, Rajen Prasad.
“But I think they need to recognise the times we are in now. I struggle to see the direct result it’s going to have in making a better life for families.”
The commission’s chief commissioner, Jan Pryor, said she was surprised at Ms Bennett’s stance at such a late stage, as it was well-known that the commission had been planning the summit for more than a year.
The commission had tried unsuccessfully to find sponsors to finance the conference, and had moved toward changing the agenda to focus more on responses to the developing economic crisis.
So they were not going to attract their budgeted income for the conference, yet still go ahead with it. And more curious, there seemed to be no fixed reason for having the conference – they just changed it to whatever was topical.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:37 am
Excellent work, Ms Bennet.
I notice the Families Commission also tried wailing that it was “well known” that the conference would take place over a year ago. As if that’s a valid reason to waste $200k. Well guess what, wastrells, your Labour friends are gone and it’s time to wake up.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:54 am
Now wait for the scream from the Lefty spendthrifts who care more for their seat polishing positions, rather than the people they are supposed to be caring for.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:01 am
We loves Paula, we do.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Funny how much better and effective these conferences are in a luxury lodge, than in a University Halls and facilities.
The new commisioners reaction is noted, and it may be a long summer, yet short season.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:29 am
But why is the whole commission still there? Ah yes, we still have to nice to the party wrecker.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:33 am
I see this as a good intermediate step too…
“United Future leader Peter Dunne’s new agreement with National ensured it was saved in October’s change of government, although it is likely to be merged with the Office of the Children’s Commissioner to share administrative resources.”
Yeeees…. get those ducks in a row… so they can be dispatched with a single shot as soon as Dunne is out of the picture.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Congratulations to the government for canning this waste of time.
I read the article in the Dom Post this morning and was struck by the fact that the aims of this talkfest made no sense. I am getting sick of events of this type having such waffling aims that they can claim success for people just turning up.
I also noticed that the bill for this event of $200 000 for 150 participants equates to $1333 odd per person, without flights as participants were being asked to pay for them themselves. Knowing the venue this seems a bit steep for a 2 day event so who was being paid to offer their advice.
Note to the new government…If a lay person needs a highly paid wallah to explain either the title or content of an event such as this then there is a good chance that this is a feel good waste of time and effort and someone just trying to justify either their own job or whole department and probably shouldn’t go ahead.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Cullen obviously thought there was plenty of money in the kitty to fund these Junkets.
Yet the creepy man thinks he is clever on Parliamentary Points. What an abject failure.
December 10th, 2008 at 8:05 am
I do hope the Fathers Delegation that is meeting with the new Families Commissioner tomorrow has better luck in solving the extreme difficulties facing fatherhood than the delegation that met with the outgoing Commissioner -Rajan Prasad a couple years back.He is now a Liarbour list cretin and Rowena Cave, a radical feminist is still the head researcher for the pathetic and sinister Families Commission. What a fucking disgrace, no wonder we have the highest child abuse statistics. The Childrens Commissioner is a vicious radical feminist. What a sick country that couldn’t give a flying fuck about the kids. Get your priorities right as kiwi kids are our future. $200k buys a lot of toys you greedy ####’s!!!!
December 10th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Yay, at last common sense becomes a common.
Good to see the serious fraud office will be kept as well, we’re going to need that department.
December 10th, 2008 at 8:19 am
That’s right dad4, toys are much more important than the love and care of parents. Seems you are made from the same cloth as those you damn.
Maybe you have anger issues, perhaps a little time out would do you well…
Farrar:”they just changed it to whatever was topical.” And yet, had it gone ahead and not focused on the current climate, your response would have been…?
December 10th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Now it is time to get rid of this expensive, waste of space, make work scheme along with all the others of similar ilk. All they do is have conferences and do surveys designed to reinforce their ideology.
They have no real concern for the issues they are set up to deal with. Their livelihoods depend on the dysfunction of others which is why they pour scorn on any person brave enough to suggest something that might help. They have no interest in solving problems, only in farming them.
A pox on them all.
December 10th, 2008 at 8:27 am
“Maybe you have anger issues, perhaps a little time out would do you well…”
Jackshit – I am not angry just shocked at the damage Labour has inflicted on the kiwi family and children in general. You lefty creeps are always putting down the angry card. Yawn, what’s the answer to the sad indictment of child abuse? Labour , quote Tim Barnett “DO NOT HELP FATHERS”. I thought dads were important, but then again the radical feminists that have infested government administrations want dad to be a test tube, as the disgraceful fembot girls dream of the destruction of fatherhood.
December 10th, 2008 at 8:36 am
You people obviously have no bloody idea.
These summits are an increasingly important tool in the fight against child poverty and the income separation anxieties faced by parents in the modern world going forward.
The cost is but a drop in the ocean when one considers the vast amount of blue sky thinking and the ability of a venue such as this to invoke huge paradigm shifts needed in the attendees if we are going to see real change going forward.
This is a political decision and dare I say it a racist one, for the last nine years we have had a government that cared about our kids going forward, yes the results might not be evident as yet and yes we have continued to see an increase in the number of child murders however we believe it is because of the lack of such summits and the lack of ideas socialised between staff that has contributed to the increase in child violence.
This summit has been organised for a long time, the commission had arranged a full Maori greeting and the attendance of cultural advisor’s for this summit, the commission see the cancellation of the summit as a naked attack on Maori and a signal of the racist attitude of the new Government going forward.
December 10th, 2008 at 8:41 am
I can’t believe you just said that big blouse, forget the expensive summit mate , how about providing more child protection training for Maori and professionals that foolishly claim to act in the child’s best interests. That would be a more practicable and effective tool for combating the insidious scourge of child abuse.
December 10th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Whoosh!
December 10th, 2008 at 9:03 am
“for the last nine years we have had a government that cared about our kids going forward”
What drugs are you on big blouse, child abuse has increased at the same time a criminal government has twice voted at UN level not to support the traditional family. You are one distorted nutter and if you think that kiwi children have benefited under Miss Klark’s regime then you need a bed in a psych ward!
December 10th, 2008 at 9:08 am
D4J – Big Bruv was indulging in a little satire mate.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Yes I understand that, but what better way to ram home a point with satire upon satire.
Cheers big bruv and sorry about the blouse comment, I will bend over and give myself a very hard smack on the arse.
Kids deserve better from government. All agreed and look forward to happy kiwi kids under National.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Glutes – dead right. When I was working in the UK not so long ago now, most Government department talkfests like this were held at a university and you bunked in the Halls. Made sense because a) you could wrangle in a few academics to give their perspective on the speakers from the Ministry and b) it cost sweet FA.
Having a conference facilitated by that suckup wannabe ‘commentator’ Rod Oram that costs $200,000 seems to show a ‘let them eat cake’ mentality – and god knows Cindy Kiro’s had enough cake
December 10th, 2008 at 9:14 am
How dare we stop the Intellectual Socialists having fun in a posh place.
As they are incapable of producing anything of use under their own steam. They only have their own greedy interests at heart.
They truly don’t give a s**t about ordinary people.
All they want to do is ensure they have the best place at the trough.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Cindy Kiro … there’s a name I think could well be cancelled out too.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:25 am
It would be interesting to OIA the number of meetings that mngt in Families have attended that had this ‘Summit’ on the agenda = real cost is about 500k.
And I bet all the transport is hidden in other budgets.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Let the noddies have their conference, once they are ensconced at their bullshit fest send in Paula Bennett holding a big sign, “YOU ARE ALL FUCKING SACKED have a merry Christmas”
December 10th, 2008 at 10:24 am
The Trade Association I was involved in had a Major Conference every Year and an Overseas Trip every year.
Funny how the DG had to visit so many hotels checking out the function facilities. Kept his weekends busy, and he never paid a cent.
December 10th, 2008 at 11:22 am
I must say after 9 years of the crapola and bullshit I really really did try and remain restrained in poking the stick at the failed Socialists and Communists and thyeir supporters.
But hell they just dont get it they just havent got to grips with the new paradigm. The world has changed and still they carry on in the same old ways
So now I dont bother and so to the Families Commission and all the other waste of oxygen Commissions I say
Its over rover You are now living in a new world One where you will be judged on your performance. On KPIs like we in the private sector have always been judged.
You will act with fiscal restraint. Its not your money Its my money you arseholes are spending and so you shall either spend it wisely or you will FOXTROT OSCAR.
December 10th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Ms Bennett, facing her first delivery, advances down the pitch, places her front foot and hits it out of the park for 6!
I like it a lot!
December 10th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t – Paula was going to get it in the neck either way. Glad to see she had the foresight to do it before the money was spent. Can only imagine the headlines had the conference gone ahead phoar……
December 10th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Rowiwor
Yes but she was facing Brook Walker…
December 10th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Radio Pravda leads Midday Moan with Helen Kelly saying how upset she is that its been canned…unionists and other pinkos love spending money – so long as its not theirs. Might be time for a complaint to the BSA re our dear friends at Radio Left Wing, methinks…
December 10th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Paula is definately presssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssious
December 10th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Would that it were necessary for ANY meeting in ANY government agency of ANY type that anticipated more than 8 participants had to be justified in writing to the appropriate Minister’s office. Spending a ‘person’ day on a topic, at a cost of AT LEAST $1,000, should be capable of justification! Naturally, if the purpose of the meeting was not to make A DECISION THAT DIRECTLY FURTHERS ATTAINMENT OF THE AGENCY’S PURPOSE the meeting should not proceed, and of course, the agenda and minutes should be made public knowledge, so that we know if our ’servants’ are doing as they should!
December 10th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
I think the Government should set up a Commission for the Taxpayer and Ratepayer and host a summit on how these important groups in Society can be assisted so they are better able to contribute to society in the broadest sense.
December 10th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Has anybody else actually looked at the reports that the Families Commission puts out? They’re nonsense. One I saw recently told us that, get this, sometimes grandparents matter to their grandchildren. No really! This report was not based on a systemiatic survey of children but was based on anecdotes. They talked to a few people and then wrote their stories up as though it was an important finding. Another report I saw did use a survey but it was on a blatantly self-selecting sample and thereore statistically worthless. I’ve seen a few other reports over the years and I don’t think I saw one that was worth the paper it was printed on.
December 10th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
We need a Truth and Retribution Commiittee set up immediately . All bodies with Commission in their title to be called before it to justify why they shouldnt be immediately disbanded.
Savings would be in the hundreds of millions and we wont notice their passing
December 10th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Oh, I like this. Paula, you go gurl! I just hope this austerity is contagious and that all ministers demand from their department heads, details of any future, weekend piss-ups and bullshit talkfests, with a view to canning them. At this rate, we’ll be able to fund two years of herception. Hell, maybe even more.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Good. This leftie sees no need for in-house conferences to be held at luxury resorts either.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Why stop there? Why doesn’t Paula Bennett dismantle the whole quango (Families Commission) altogether?
It hasn’t rendered anything good during its useless existence. It should be disbanded.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Yes I agree Manolo, because the inept Families Commission does still seem to be suffering from the Miss Klark Absolute Power regime power tripper mentality. Fancy trying to stop protest activities. Does NZ adhere to basic Human Rights. All Commissions are a croc of shit.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/families-commission-dictates-associations/5/6455
December 10th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Before we all get to carried away with Bennett lets not forget that this Summit was an easy target and one that she had no choice but to cancel.
If she had let it go ahead then Labour would have had a field day, even if Labour had not made such a big issue the pinko media would have been all over it like a rash, the reality is that Bennett has done fuck all yet.
As much as the demise of the Labour government still puts a smile on my face the fact remains that Key and Bennett will be soft on welfare, those of you who hope to see Bennett rip into the bastards with a razor are in for a disappointment, both Key and Bennett like the idea of the DPB and fully support the welfare mentality that has seeped into everyday life in NZ.
Its going to be business as usual folks, get used to the idea.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Lovely comment today by Danny Watson on ZB – “I always thought the Families Commission was really called marriage?”. Dead right Danny, keep speaking it out, hopefully the PC liberals will all leave or wither up in the capitalist sun
December 10th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
And the Families Commission does …. ?? I think they did a survey to find out what a family is. Turns out me and the cat qualify. But what is the point of this drain on our money, apart from paying a landlord rent? Paula, if you happen to read this, dis-establish it and the Childrens’ Commission forthwith, don’t namby pamby round “merging” them. Neither serve a useful purpose.
December 10th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Good to see some Government waste being cut. Here is hoping a lot more is to come.