• Training Opportunities And Youth Programmes Give Maori A Chance
• Child Support Bill Passed
• Social Security Data Exchange Bill Introduced
• Youth Justice Residential Centre
• Select Committee Inquiry Into Student Support
• Rongotai College Student Signs On As Modern Apprentice
• Southland Jobs Campaign

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AND YOUTH PROGRAMMES GIVE MAORI A CHANCE
Training Opportunities and Youth Training programmes are helping Maori improve their future prospects, according to an audit report released last week by Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia and Associate Minister of Education Steve Maharey.

In 2000, about 9,500 Maori trainees completed a Training Opportunities programme and about 6,000 Maori completed a Youth Training programme. During that time, there were 22,146 Training Opportunities trainees and 13,125 Youth Training trainees in total.

The effectiveness audit, conducted by Te Puni Kokiri, confirmed Maori had access to, and benefited from, participation in the programmes. It suggests adjusting contracts and developing services with programme providers to allow them to work with trainees that have multiple barriers, be they educational, financial or personal. Recommendations from the audit report are to be considered by the Ministerial group currently reviewing the Training Opportunities and Youth Training policies.

* copies of the report are available from the Te Puni Kokiri communications group on (04) 922 6024

CHILD SUPPORT BILL PASSED
Legislation increasing the minimum and maximum rate of child support to be paid by liable parents from 1 April 2002 was passed by Parliament last week.

The real value of the minimum rate has been significantly eroded since it was first set in 1990. A new minimum rate of $12.75 a week has been set from 1 April 2002, which restores the real value of the payment to what it was in 1990 terms. In the future the minimum payment will be linked to the CPI, and adjusted annually, to maintain relativity. The maximum level of income for assessment purposes will rise from twice to 2.5 times the yearly equivalent of the average ordinary-time weekly wage. This will ensure that children of higher earning parents are able to benefit from their parents' higher incomes, while not taking the level so high that it might become a disincentive to payment of child support. Liable parents who consider that the formula assessment of child support liability produces an unfair result have an opportunity to apply for an administrative review.

The underlying principle of the legislation is that parents are financially responsible for their children, whether or not they live together, and that the level of support provided by liable parents should be in proportion to their income.

SOCIAL SECURITY DATA EXCHANGE BILL INTRODUCED
Legislation allowing the exchange of data between New Zealand and other nations for social security purposes was introduced to Parliament last week. The Social Welfare (Transitional Provisions - Overseas Pensions) Amendment Bill will apply to all countries with which New Zealand has a social security agreement containing mutual assistance provisions and will enable the new social security agreement with Australia signed in March to formally come into force on 1 July 2002.

The bill:

• establishes a new requirement on Australia and New Zealand to exchange migration data to establish how long a person has lived in either nation, or a third country, to establish their eligibility for benefits;
• allows for the exchange of data to maintain an accurate record of the personal circumstance of beneficiaries;
• enables the Ministry of Social Development to recover debts on behalf of social security agreement partners;
• makes technical amendments to the way mutual assistance provisions are referred to in New Zealand legislation; and,
• allows the Ministry of Social Development to deduct from New Zealand Superannuation overseas government occupational pensions that are paid as an alternative to similar pensions paid to the general population.

The bill will be referred to the Social Services Select Committee for their consideration.

YOUTH JUSTICE RESIDENTIAL CENTRE
Plans were announced last week to redevelop the Northern Residential Centre (NRC) at Manurewa as a new Care and Protection Residential Centre solely dedicated to providing care and protection for at-risk children and young people. Both facilities will contribute to the wider strategy of providing purpose-built facilities to meet the needs of today's children and young people. Education, rehabilitation and cultural programmes will be provided in both facilities for children and young people needing 24-hour supervision in the care of CYF. The proposal is to redevelop the Northern Residential Centre for only care and protection once youth justice has been relocated to the new Youth Justice Residential Centre which is due to be completed in mid 2003. The new Youth Justice Residential Centre will provide up to 46 placements and the redeveloped NRC for up to 20 placements. This will double the current care and protection capacity of the NRC and increase by 10 the number of beds nationally.

SELECT COMMITTEE INQUIRY INTO STUDENT SUPPORT
Further action to ease the financial burden on students of tertiary education depends on the re-election of the Labour-Alliance Government Associate Education (Tertiary Education) Minister Steve Maharey said following the release of an inconclusive multi-party select committee inquiry into support last week.

The Government will be formally responding to the inquiry by Parliament's Education and Science Select Committee into student support this year and would set in place a work programme to address the issues raised. The inquiry was initiated following a request by Cabinet for the Select Committee to investigate student support issues. It complements other work the Government has been doing this year to improve publicly available information about the student loan scheme following advice from the Auditor-General that this needed improving.

The report is a significant contribution to raising public awareness and understanding of just how out-of-control tertiary education got over the 1990s. The Government has made tertiary education a major investment priority, spending $800 million over 4 years to freeze fees, cancel interest off student loans and a range of other student-focused initiatives.

RONGOTAI COLLEGE STUDENT SIGNS ON AS MODERN APPRENTICE
Rongotai College received praise last week for its partnership with local business which has seen one of its students signing on to the Modern Apprenticeship programme. Chris Van Dongen, a prefect from Rongotai College, signed up as the college's first Modern Apprentice in carpentry with PJ & AJ Building Ltd. The signing was facilitated under the Government's Gateway programme, established earlier this year to give schools the resources to build effective partnerships with business.

Associate Education (Tertiary Education) Minister Steve Maharey said it is exciting to see the Gateway pilot initiative at Rongatai College giving this young man a headstart in his chosen career in building. Senior students on Gateway participate in structured workplace learning integrated with a general education programme. Their achievements are credited towards national qualifications. Through choosing to be involved in Gateway students gain a valuable insight into working life. Nationally over 1600 young people are now working as Modern Apprentices.

SOUTHLAND JOBS CAMPAIGN
Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey weighed in behind a Venture Southland initiative announced last week to promote employment opportunities in Southland. A newspaper supplement promoting the province was inserted into North Island daily newspapers on 31 October. A shortage of skilled staff in Southland prompted the move.

Steve Maharey said all New Zealanders have cause to celebrate the fact that we have the lowest unemployment rate since 1988. In some regions this is presenting new challenges as employers face difficulties in recruiting skilled staff. The Government is committed to playing its part to close skill gaps. The Ministry of Social Development made a $10,000 financial contribution to the Venture Southland initiative.

Other concrete measures the Government has taken to realise the economic and social potential of the regional economies include introducing the Modern Apprenticeship Programme and significantly lifting funding of industry training; funding MSD Regional Commissioners to ensure that the particular challenges of regional and local labour markets are addressed; and, working with local mayors on a number of joint initiatives through the Mayors' Taskforce for Jobs.