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The Ministry of Justice is holding $6 million in unclaimed reparation but has not yet been able to give the money to the victims of crime because many have moved or changed their names.
Some of this may belong to Wairarapa residents.
Anyone owed reparation needs to let the Ministry know if they have changed their name or address. They may have easily overlooked this but by getting in contact with the Ministry now, they'll be able to tell if we are holding payments for them.
When a sentence of reparation is imposed, the Ministry of Justice writes to the victim advising them of the Judge's order of reparation and the process by which it will be paid. The letter asks the victim to advise the Ministry's Collections Unit if their name or address changes so that reparation can continue to be paid out.
The Ministry does its best to locate victims owed reparation but they are very reliant on people keeping in contact with them.
The Ministry works hard for the victims of crime and in the last financial year the collection of overdue reparation increased by 25 percent, with $12.28m collected in the year ended 30 June. The amount overdue decreased by $8.6 million, with $21.9 million of overdue reparation unpaid as at 30 June 2003.
If victims believe that they may have reparation owing or know that their contact details need updating, I urge them to call the Victims' free phone number 0800 909 909. Alternatively, they can write to or visit the Collections Unit at the nearest court.
Quite rightly much attention has gone on stopping violence against our young people but there is another equally as offensive problem in our society - that of elder abuse and neglect.
This needs to be brought out into the open.
Most elder abuse occurs in families. The secrecy and shame that surrounds it - not least on the part of the person being abused - is perhaps the strongest thread in the web that needs to be unspun.
International literature shows 3 to 5 percent of older New Zealanders - between 13,000 and 22,000 people - are likely to experience physical, verbal, emotional or financial abuse.
The Ministry of Social Development is currently evaluating 22 elder abuse and neglect prevention services throughout the country, run by nine providers.
The evaluation will show whether the approach developed in New Zealand is the most appropriate way of dealing with abuse, and how best to support services.
A number of changes in the health and disability sectors also have implications for older people and elder abuse prevention services, including:
- improved certification and accountability of rest homes under the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001;
- the ability for a more integrated local response to the needs of older people, following the transfer of disability support services funding for older people from the Ministry of Health to district health boards in October 2003; and
- the development of Primary Health Organisations, including low patient fees and $3 prescription charges for older people by the middle of next year.
Financial abuse is one of the hardest forms to deal with, largely because of the legal issues involved. There is to be a review next year of the legislative provisions of the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988 as they relate to the Enduring Power of Attorney.
Enduring Power of Attorney is an important way for people to provide for advanced old age, when they may not be able to make decisions about their personal lives and finances. However, such an arrangement can be misused, and the well-being and finances of an older person put at risk. We can never remove the human element, but we can make sure we get the processes right.
More than $20 million is being invested to improve the links between the biotechnology, information and communications technology (ICT) and design industries.
The three emerging industries were identified as priority sectors in the Government's Growth and Innovation Framework.
Industry-led taskforces for each sector have since identified a common need for better linkages with tertiary education organisations to ensure that qualifications respond to industry needs and sufficient numbers of graduates are trained.
The Tertiary Education Commission will invest the total funding ($21.55 million over four years) in projects supporting two broad goals: identifying and meeting the future skill and talent needs of the industry sectors and building the entrepreneurial and commercial skills of biotechnology, ICT and design students.
On the web, register on-line to receive more information here
My thanks to retiring Wairarapa College Deputy Principal Keith Sawyer for his years of service to Wairarapa students.
Also to long-serving Wairarapa Times-Age editor Andrew Wyatt. As a public figure, Andrew and I may not always have seen eye to eye over content of stories but we do agree on the importance for Wairarapa to have a local paper with local news. Best of luck to him.
Finally congratulations to Jason van Gent on winning the Wellington Creative HQ Big Ideas supreme award. I look forward to seeing the finished product.
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