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Great news that Wairarapa will be part of a pilot programme aimed at reducing domestic violence.
Our community already has some strategies in place and this will complement them.
This programme will see Family Safety Teams set up in Wairarapa/Hutt Valley, Auckland/Hamilton, Christchurch, and Counties Manukau.
The Wairarapa/Hutt Valley and Auckland/Hamilton teams will start next February, with the other teams being rolled out in the 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 financial years.
This initiative addresses concerns raised by those working in the family violence area, and by reports into the deaths of Saliel Aplin and Olympia Jetson and James Whakaruru that the current response to violence is fragmented and unco-ordinated.
Frequently, agencies working with one family member are not aware of information held by another agency that may be of direct relevance. For example, child protection agencies often assess risk to a particular child without knowing that there has been a history of family violence and considerable prior police involvement with the child's family.
Family Safety Teams are a pilot programme aimed at providing a multi-disciplinary response to family violence and is a joint initiative between police, Ministry of Justice and Department of Child, Youth and Family. It will involve police and advocates for adult and child victims working together to ensure that the full range of needs for a family experiencing family violence are addressed.
In each case, a team will decide how to best address the problem, protect the victims and reduce the chance of repeat incidents.
The teams will also ensure that greater use is made of existing services that can help at-risk families, such as protection orders, counselling and help from Work and Income.
The teams will continue to make referrals where appropriate to police and Child, Youth and Family and to work closely with child abuse and sexual abuse teams.
While family violence reports may initially increase with greater awareness of effective services, the initiative is expected to reduce family violence.
The four sites were chosen by a steering committee comprising representatives of relevant government agencies and the non-government agencies Women's Refuge, Stopping Violence Services, Child Abuse Prevention Services, and Northern Regional Advisory Group.
Funding of $15.2 million over four years was made available in this year's Budget, and the teams' work will be evaluated over a three-year period.
Assistance to forestry damaged in floods in the Central North Island, including Wairarapa, has been allocated.
After a request from representatives of the forest industry and regional authorities, the Government approved an additional $3.36 million under the Agricultural Recovery Programme to clean up and reinstate forestry stands destroyed in February's lower North Island floods.
Of that funding, $1 million is allocated to forestry-related remedial clean up work and $2.36 million is set aside for the replanting of destroyed forest areas.
The additional assistance being provided will be governed by the same criteria applying to other forms of assistance and where any farmer or forester has doubts, they should still apply.
In Wairarapa the farm/forest property should be located within the South Wairarapa, Carterton, Masterton or Tararua district council boundaries and have been significantly affected by the lower North Island storm between 15 and 18 February 2004.
To be eligible, farmers/foresters must earn 51 percent of their gross income from farming, cropping, vegetable growing, forestry activities or any combination and payments will only be made for non-insurable qualifying items.
Fuller details of the forestry package and forms for landowners with forestry damage will be available from MAF by mid-September and it is anticipated meetings will also be arranged to further explain criteria and conditions to potential claimants.
The Government has agreed that all current permanent residents of New Zealand should be exempt from the new rules contained in the Identity (Citizenship and Travel Documents) Bill, currently before the Government Administration Select Committee.
As currently drafted, the Bill would have required people to wait five years for New Zealand Citizenship.
As many as 140,000 permanent residents living and working in New Zealand may have been affected, including some only days away from satisfying the existing requirements on 1 January 2005.
As a result of public concern the Government will move an amendment to the Bill at the Committee stage and this will exempt all current permanent residents from the new provisions.
People immigrating to New Zealand after 1 January 2005 will be required to spend five years as residents before being eligible for New Zealand Citizenship. This two year increase will allow more time for a full assessment of eligibility and bring New Zealand laws into line with many other countries.
I am delighted to advise those affected by the legislation that the Government has listened to public concerns and changed the Bill accordingly.
Finally I would like to remind people to take care when negotiating rail crossings.
It was of great concern to me that last week there was another close call, the second in a month, between a car and a train. Thank goodness no one was seriously injured or killed.
Please remember that freight trains also use our rail lines, not just scheduled services, and the sensible thing to do is to always stop and check for trains.
It only takes a short time but could save a life.
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