White Middle-class Women can’t say? – Jadis
OK, so I’m not really meant to be posting. I am meant to be a guest poster when David is on a holiday or some other excursion however we all know that he posts even more on holiday so what is the point in obeying his rules.
First of all, I had better declare that I am a white middle class woman. Apparently Jan Pryor, as Head of the Families Commission, thinks being a middle class white woman is some impediment to answering a question with a straight answer at select committee.
Through questions from Labour and National MPs the Head of the Families Commission refused to define what she believed Whanau Ora to be because:
“…the simple fact that I am a middle class white woman. And so I don’t feel that I should be giving definitive answers.”
I’m sorry but “What the F***?”
How hard is it to say “Wraparound” or ask Minister Turia during the meetings that Pryor has with her? I’ve done my fair share of Women’s studies, sociology, etc papers (yes, I used them as filler subjects) but Pryor takes the cake. The point is the Commission has done a paper on Whanau Ora so it is within the work of the Commission. I suppose this is a new way of avoiding a question at select committee.
So here it is, from a middle-class white woman (who even lives in the suburbs)…. *Whanau Ora is a wraparound approach to helping families especially Maori. Whanau Ora is a combo of using what is available within families, the state and community organisations so that there is a multi-faceted approach.
* Please note I have intentionally worded it so there is a bit of policy-speak so that the Head of the Commission might learn that she can still answer a question like a head of a wannabe policy (or is it lobbying) tax-payer funded entity, without using a cop-out, post-modernist, feminist line like she couldn’t possibly comment because she is middle class, white and female.
December 9th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
“Whanau ora has been described as a policy to bring together funding from various government departments and give it directly to families in need. ”
Whanau Ora sounds like a pretty sweet deal! Miss wants a bike for Christmas, $500 ought to cover it. Ta.
Basically they know they need to provide the money, but can’t quite say why. This your fat-cutting, belt-tightening civil service of the new National/Act era in action I presume.
December 9th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Fire her -or better yet- disband the Families Commission, period.
December 9th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Does anyone really care about the Families Commission, The Onion Board, The Lefties Pension Fund. Wellington is fulll of them. Remember Sir G Palmer – he was going to be a quango hunter. Where is he now????
December 9th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Uhhh WTF, how about this PC fool recognise that “white middle class women” are paying for a large chunk of this nonsense with their taxes, and she should begin to show some responsibility and accountabliity for how she’s spending their money by at least knowing what nonsense she’s spending it on.
December 9th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Fire her she isn’t up to spec.
Do the same to Sir Geoffrey too while you’re at it.
Don’t forget Cullen the wanker who spent our money we didn’t have!
Shit you might as well start with Key as he didn’t ping her and him for their law breaking with the Prefu etc etc but is happy to screw around with ordinary parents to make political points.
December 9th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
This is what an employer gets from a person with a degree in whatever and absolutely no common sense. Unintelligble crap wrapped up in pseudo speak meaning bugger all but as no one will tell the bloody emperor she is actually naked then it must be supercharged information and we should be grateful, shutup and make the cheque out to c.ash ta very much. Dont ever, ever ask me what it all means as you wouldn’t understand the answer.Ms Pryor would have retained her dignity and stature by just calling in sick. That would not have been hard to substantiate.
How much are we paying her for her very ordinary skill set in communication.
December 9th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
And while we’re firing people, let’s fire that darling of the right who dove happily into the taxpayer funded trough that is the Families Commission, despite a long and shameful track record of denigration and denial toward anyone else in receipt of a governmetn benefit – one Christine Rankin.
December 9th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Great slap down. Pity a few more Department CEO don’t get the same lesson.
Wonder how the elf from the Johnsonville Fair is feeling tonight?
December 9th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
How much are we paying her for her very ordinary skill set in communication?
A poultice.
According to the FC they spend almost $500,000 on their comms team each year… Bet they’re working overtime tonight.
December 9th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
I think her comments need to be brought back into perspective, I think by what we gather above this is simply being used as ammunition to disenfranchise the entire Families Commission and based on the comments alone I find that premature and inconsistent.
Dr Pryor said she had given answers but was not going to provide a definition.
“I am putting a caveat around it for the simple fact that I am a middle class, white woman. And so I don’t feel that I should be giving definitive answers.”
By what we gather above I think its fair and coherent that what shes asserting is in fact the universal perspective of non-Maori. We feel that it is not our place to be delivering on Maori policies around the concept of “Whanau Ora” and she should be commended for speaking out on that.
“Whanau Ora” is a concept that Maori leaders should be working with and unfortunately a Maori sub-committee under the wing of the NZ Families Commission does not exist, should this be at the fault of the commissioner? Absolutely not.
“I think everybody is struggling with this definition frankly.”
I would agree with this comment and offer my complete support for its conveyance. If the concept of “Whanau Ora” was consistent and well-established throughout Maoridom why is it that we continue to see vast breakdowns in Maori family structure, the loss of its importance in Maori society, difficult upbringings by Maori children and overall disadvantaged as a people?
Clearly there are flaws in this so-called “Whanau-ora” concept that need to be addressed, identified and dealt with or Maori will continue slipping well behind the national averages of this country.
For decades we have heard about the concept of “Whanau ora” but based on current policies, initiatives and approaches by government and sub-government committees I think its fair to conclude that this concept is not working as it should be and there are flaws within the structure that need to be dealt with immediately.
Such a shame to see the Maori party failing to acknowledge this fundamental breakdown throughout Maoridom today…
December 9th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Jadis
Have been having asking similar questions over at http://www.democracymum tonight.
When did being a white, middle class woman, render you a second class citizen?
December 9th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
I assume the lady followed her comment up with “I’m obviously totally incompetent at my job, I resign”.
December 10th, 2009 at 6:43 am
I asked the same question weeks ago;
http://lindsaymitchell.blogspot.com/2009/11/what-exactly-is-whanau-ora.html
Take a look at the chart and all will be revealed.
December 10th, 2009 at 7:22 am
What does the families commission actually do?
One point in her favour, the maoris will send their taniwhas to eat any white woman who dares interpret anything maori .
December 10th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Lindsay – yours is a great post as always. I wasn’t even getting into the merits of the Whanau Ora approach but I do think it is crazy that a head of a government organisation refuses to define or comment on an approach, strategy or programme based on their ethnicity, gender and class. Imagine if all our dept heads also adopted the same approach to questioning at select committee.
December 10th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Expect a brave government executive decision very soon announcing the disestablishment of the Families Commission,….yeah right.
This is another quango that will outlive cockroaches on this country. Once created, never dismantled.