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The Civil Union Bill and the Relationships (Statutory References) Bill (commonly called the Omnibus Bill) were voted on in the House last week and you are probably aware that I voted for them to go on to select committee stage. I believe this is a human rights issue. The Civil Union Bill provides a mechanism for couples who cannot marry, or do not wish to marry, to publicly declare commitment to each other, and have this commitment legally and socially recognized. It is simply an issue of choice. The Government is not forcing anybody to do anything, but people will be able to put their own value on their relationship and decide how they want to present that to the world. The Omnibus Bill amends hundreds of individual Acts and regulations to recognise civil Union and de facto relationships, so that neutral laws on relationships apply (unless there are grounds for justified discrimination under the BOR Act).
For Labour, this Bill is a party vote. Census figures showed some 330,000 New Zealanders had chosen to live in a relationship other than marriage. There were also roughly 10,000 people in same-sex relationships who cannot marry. The intention is that civil union will be a new legal entity, designed for the needs of couples in the 21st century. The registration of a civil union provides a couple with readily available proof of the nature of their relationship, rather than relying on a determination of whether their relationship falls under the definition of de facto in the Relationships (Statutory References) Bill.
I have received letters, emails and calls from people expressing their opinions on mainly the Civil Union Bill and I encourage them to now put in a submission to the select committee. Information on how to do this is available through my Dannevirke and Masterton offices.
An estimated 10,000 year 9 and 10 students around the country are set to benefit next year from a new project designed to improve the teaching of mathematics in schools. About 430 secondary school mathematics teachers, who teach around 10,000 students in maths, will take part in the Secondary Numeracy Project - a professional development project which will give teachers the skills to improve their teaching and understanding of their subject.
The emphasis in this $1 million pilot will be on the quality of teaching for those fully qualified in maths and on lifting the knowledge and confidence of teachers without maths degrees.
A study in 2000 showed that our 15-year-olds are third in the OECD in numeracy skills but revealed that at the lower end there are large numbers of students not performing so well. Our government is determined to lift education standards so every single student benefits, and this project will be a key in delivering on this goal. Up to 30 senior secondary maths teachers will be released and trained to be part-time facilitators of the new professional development programme across New Zealand. From next year, the secondary maths pilot programme will take similar approaches to the primary project as it focuses on improving the skills and confidence of teachers of years 9 and 10 students.
Appointments have been made to the new Families Commission, which will be formally established on 1 July and will act as an advocate for the interests of families. It will encourage informed debate on issues affecting families and will also commission research into family issues and comment on policies affecting families. Funding of $28.233m was provided in Budget 2003 for the Commission's first four years. The Government has appointed six Commissioners, including former Race Relations Conciliator Dr Rajen Prasad as Chief Commissioner. Families are the basic building block of our society. The Families Commission will be a unique institution whose primary function, mandated in legislation, will be to speak up for families and to assist governments to provide better support for families. Six Commissioners have been appointed and bring a variety of family, advocacy and governance skills to their roles.
Members of the initial Commission are:
- Dr Rajen Prasad, Chief Commissioner (full-time appointment)
- bioethics specialist Sharron Cole (Deputy Chief Commissioner)
- psychiatrist Prof Mason Durie
- legal expert Sandra Alofivae
- former Human Rights Commissioner Carolynn Bull, and
- long-time family advocate Lyn Campbell.
There have been many changes to families over the last 20 years. Pressures on families are different. For example some families are "work-rich", with both parents working, while others have difficulty gaining employment or have low incomes. The stability of relationships is decreasing, and male-female roles in the family are changing. The Commission will be an advocate for all families, from the traditional nuclear family to multi-generational families.
A full launch of the Commission will be held at Parliament on July 19th.
I was pleased to read the Tararua District Council District marketer; Melissa Martin has upgraded the Council's website. I am quite often approached regarding queries or issues relating to local government. I strongly encourage people to use this site as it has a wonderful source of information. The website address is www.tararuadc.govt.nz The Tararua District libraries in Dannevirke, Woodville, Pahiatua and Eketahuna have computers available for people to use at a small cost for Internet access. Computer access is also available at the Tararua site in Woodville which is open 7 days a week with no charge for the Council website. Congratulations on a job well done Melissa.
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