Peter Dunne and Feeding the kids

Hone Harawira, Leader of MANA and MP for Te Tai Tokerau is introducing a bill named, ‘Feed the Kids’, it’s a simple and straight forward bill with the real purpose of doing exactly what the name implies.

It contains no crap just a simple obvious logical and human response to the overwhelming and proven situation regarding thousands and thousands of kids in New Zealand today.

And as strange as it might sound John Keys before he was elected had a plan, or he said he did, to feed the kids, but within days of being elected the plan suddenly disappeared into thin air and the kids no longer needed feeding, instead the wealthy needed tax cuts so that took priority, and kids have suffered ever since. Hone said;

“Along with the organisations that are launching a community campaign for food programmes in schools, I’m again urging my parliamentary colleagues to support my Feed the Kids Bill”, said Hone Harawira, Leader of MANA and MP for Te Tai Tokerau.

“Making sure all of our kids are fed and well and ready to learn at school should be our first priority as a nation – not the last.”

Mr Harawira’s Member’s Bill to introduce government-funded breakfast and lunch programmes in decile 1-2 schools is due to come up for first reading next month. If passed at first reading, the Bill will be considered by a parliamentary select committee.

Now to get that bill before the select committee he needs to get the votes of a majority of the parliament, no easy task that, but the Labour Party, the Greens, the Maori Party and New Zealand First have agreed that they will vote for it to go to a select committee. The National Party has said they will not, the Act party poodle followed suit, but of John Banks may in jail and not be able to vote [Who Knows] and of course Peter Dunne of United Future, [not really a party] holds the vital vote.

Hone Harawira has stated publicly that all he wants to do is to get the bill to a select committee and if that committee decides to use other means to quickly achieve the bills goal of feeding the children, then so be it. What he doesn’t want is for it to disappear into thin air as John Keys promise did five years ago.

Who is supporting this bill outside of political parties well here a just a few organisations and they grow larger by the day:

Organisations involved in the community campaign include:

 

Anglican Church;

Auckland Action Against Poverty;

Barnardos;

Caritas Aotearoa NZ;

Child Poverty Action Group;

CTU Rūnanga;

Every Child Counts;

IHC;

Methodist Church;

NZEI;

NZ Nurses’ Organisation;

NZ Principals’ Federation;

Plunket;

Poverty Action Waikato;

PPTA;

Salvation Army;

Save the Children;

Te ORA (Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa):

Māori Medical Practitioners’ Association;

Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko i te Ora (Māori Women’s Welfare League);

Te Waka Huia;

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners;

UNICEF NZ;

Unite Union;

And Women’s Refuge

Now that list is not exactly a bunch of communist terrorists, in fact no nicer bunch of community minded people could you find if you searched for a hundred years…but Peter Dunne thinks otherwise, naturally he does not simply come out and say why he opposes the bill going to a first reading, he does express how much he feels for the children, how he understands their plight, how being fed helps children learn…and he says all this crying in his gin and tonic…The reason for his refusal to vote for this logical, urgency needed and hugely supported bill…is money, he is the so-called Minister of Revenue and he is absolutely wrapped with his salary, in fact he is so wrapped with being a Minister that he changes side whenever the government changes, in fact he is absolutely famous for it. The picture shows him playing the lead bad guy in Oliver…to learn more about Peter Dunne ever changing principles and his love of money go to: Dunne, Peter  Here are his comments on feeding the kids:

Feeding hungry children is…‘Superficially attractive’?

Feeding hungry children is ‘palliative’??

“That is why I take the view that a much more realistic and workable approach is to target directly, through early identification by community agencies, at risk families and to work with them to help them  get the support they need to properly feed their children.”

This from another blogger; http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/05/10/why-peter-dunne-wont-feed-the-kids/

If Dunne is opposed to feeding hungry children from this nation’s poorest families, because he would find it difficult to reconcile extra expenditure with revenue, he should at least have the intestinal fortitude [I would have said guts] to publicly admit it. Tell us, straight up. Hiding behind faux excuses is obscene. Especially when, with every word he writes, there are children with empty bellies turning up at our schools. Peter Dunne writes, “That is why I take the view that a much more realistic and workable approach is to target directly, through early identification by community agencies, at risk families and to work with them to help them  get the support they need to properly feed their children.”

So what has he done to achieve this? Because all I can see is a cleverly-worded fob-off. To the people of Ohariu – this is your MP. Is this what you voted for?

If you want to learn more go to: http://feedthekids.org.nz/