It's surely not a very big ask...is it? Amidst budget outlays last week of tens and hundreds of millions of Government-surplus induced funds for this, that and especially the other - to meet the endless medley of promises and pledges solemnly undertaken by the Opposition on last year's campaign trail - stands a seemingly rather small request from Central Otago for a measly three million. For no less than the 'Stand Children's Services Roxburgh children's village' (at one time Roxburgh Health Camp).
Providing 31 local, Roxburgh-based jobs, and, much more importantly, ongoing help annually for 380 traumatized, vulnerable kids, this is surely one of the standout institutions at the very coalface of the endemic social problems afflicting Aotearoa-New Zealand. Seemingly intractable matters that the constituent parties of our new Coalition Government profess to care so very much about; having argued incessantly and quite convincingly about the desperate need to fix once and for all, not only during last year's general election campaign, but for years prior.
Something's wrong here, surely? Something simply doesn't compute, doesn't 'add up'. So let's 'cut', as my former acting associates might have put it, in a brief 'discursion' to a seemingly unrelated topic:
On a 'Trending Now' repeat of one of her weekend interviews - with the Akina Foundation's 'Growing Social Enterprise' Louise Aitken - and for what interviewer Kim Hill herself characterized as a modest outlay of $5 million, a certain Maori-based initiative had just been granted funds to make a real difference. To make an impact through a wise and bold investment - of Government monies; into their own well-chosen (and apparently effective) pathways.
"Wunderbar!" as my German backpacker friends might put it. Money well spent - indeed. Putting one's money where one's mouth is, carefully targeting the funds required to where they would make the best and most successful impact. "Not rocket science, eh!" as ye average punter might have put it.
So Madames Ardern and Martin, we're all - even your recently-deposed opponent, the former P.M. (and social investment guru) Bill English - solidly (even philosophically) behind such carefully-delineated targets to achieve your impassioned pleas and aims to eradicate child poverty from God's Own. And to render whatsoever assistance is needed to NZ's PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) juvenile underclass, who, in the vast bulk of instances, through absolutely no fault of their own, have sadly ended up on the scrapheap of our society.
Yes, who can possibly argue with your well-intentioned aims and goals and priorities? Who indeed?
And likewise, who can possibly argue - especially yourselves, Prime Minister, Minister for (eradicating) Poverty, and Children's Minister, Tracey Martin - that the Roxburgh children's village is not an especially worthy recipient of just such - specially-targeted - help? Which moreover has been providing sorely-needed assistance for a very long time (since 1941): as the ODT (May 14th) puts it, 'an intensive, residential, wrap-around trauma service' for highly vulnerable children in the South.
A critically-situated service which experts, those 'on the ground' in this field who are fully conversant with what this long-running Roxburgh-based children's service has managed to achieve, tell us is simply without a peer (and, what's more, acceptable alternative) for the children involved; and hence is still needed by kids throughout the village's large catchment area (everything south of the Waitaki River). It is a longstanding child support facility that has literally resulted in changed lives.
As a fully qualified teacher aide myself, who admittedly (since 2002/2006, and a voluntary stint a couple years ago) has only limited experience in the field after being effectively sidetracked through some serious physical and mental health issues over the past decade, I can at least attest that through my personal interventions around a decade-and-a-half ago (spending a couple hours most weekdays), one young boy with major presenting behavioural issues was helped to turn his life around; at least for awhile thereafter (if sadly, not long-term), according to the intermediate principal I contacted a year or two down the track.
And so, no, not all interventions are ultimately successful, admittedly. But if they can help just such vulnerable youth even begin to get their fraught lives back on track, hey, let's not just arbitrarily jettison them; especially not without an adequate replacement in existence. And folks - that is, all politicians still seriously considering this (last-ditch appeal) - the last I heard the Stand Children's Services Roxburgh children's village was doing an effective job.
And surely, at the end of the day, Ms Ardern and Ms Martin - and I speak as one who's been vocally (and blogwise) highly supportive of you up till now - 'if it ain't broke, why (even try to) fix it (much less let it fall and fail)?' No, it's your absolute duty to admit you stuffed up here, have seen the error of your ways, and are indeed prepared to stump up now - however belatedly - with the needed cash.
Which surely isn't all that much - is virtually small change in the overall scheme of things, in light of your other budgetary expenditures. Hey, please do it - if not for any grand ideological imperatives, simply because these kids, who have so few advocates rooting for them in the real world, are counting upon you...to do the right thing...for and by them.
Pretty please, Prime Minister, and Minister Martin? And move forward without regrets. For the kids' sake.
Yours Sincerely (a long-time admirer of you both)
David Bernhardt
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