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| 28 August 2009 Click here to watch my latest video diary on YouTube BOOSTING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOOLCHILDREN Mums and Dads like these programmes. They give kids something to do and they get a new range of experiences. Sadly, the young people most likely to miss out on these kinds of opportunities are the ones who might gain the most from them - young people in some of our most deprived communities, where Mum and Dad might not be able to afford the programme fees, or the programmes might not exist. Instead of going on an activity programme, kids from some of our poorest families can find themselves with very little to do in the school holidays. I want to make sure that more families like these have the chance to get their children involved in meaningful school holiday activities. That's why, in a speech on Wednesday, I announced our Break-Away Package to boost school holiday opportunities . It includes funding for what will grow to be 30,000 places a year for young people aged 11-17 in holiday programmes. These will be targeted at deprived communities and families under stress. I also announced more details of our Fresh Start Package for young offenders which sets aside funding for military-style activity camps, and expands Fresh Start to include a range of other initiatives aimed at tackling youth crime. These announcements build on the Youth Opportunities Package and Kiwisport initiatives announced earlier this month. Click here to read and comment on my speech. GIVING PARENTS COMFORT ON CHILD DISCIPLINE I know many of you are concerned about the Government's response to the smacking referendum, and I'd like to thank those of you who have commented and posted your thoughts on it. It's clear from the referendum that New Zealanders don't want to see good parents criminalised for a light smack. As such, on Monday, I announced that the Government is taking steps to give parents comfort that this will not happen. These include: 1. Requesting that Police and Ministry of Social Development review Child, Youth & Family and Police policies and procedures to identify any changes that are needed to ensure good parents are treated as Parliament intended. 3. Inviting Police to continue to report on the operation of the law for the next three years. As I've said before, I think the law is working as intended. But I want to assure parents that the National-led Government will continue to monitor the way it is being implemented. If future Police data shows a worrying trend, we will change the law to ensure good New Zealand parents are not criminalised for lightly smacking. WORKING WITH AUSTRALIA I had a really successful trip to Australia last week to meet with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and attend the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum. We took some important steps towards the Single Economic Market, held our first joint Australia-New Zealand Cabinet meeting, and announced changes to border processes for passengers so that travel between New Zealand and Australia will become faster and easier. Better links across the Tasman can lead to big gains for our exporters and key industries like tourism. I'm looking forward to making further announcements about our relationship with Australia in the future. FROM THE DIARY On Monday, I announced that the National-led Government will not support reserved Maori seats on the new Auckland Council. As a result of this decision, Local Government Minister Rodney Hide and Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples will work together to recommend to Cabinet the most effective mechanism to enable Maori participation on the new Auckland Council. I had fun in Mangere yesterday meeting the kids at Kiwicare's new Tennessee Pre-school, before opening a new building at Takapuna Grammar on the North Shore. I'm in Rotorua today to formally apologise to affiliate Te Arawa Iwi and Hapu for Crown breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi. This is the latest step towards our target of resolving all Treaty of Waitangi claims by 2014. Next week the house is in recess. I'll be spending time meeting the locals in Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin, and the Bay of Islands. Best wishes
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