Hon Steve Maharey
Minister of Social Services and Employment
Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education)
Minister for Community and Voluntary Sector
MP for Palmerston North
20 January 2000
Government to harness benefit advocacy groups expertise
The Minister of Social Services and Employment, Steve Maharey, said he was pleased with the progress made at a meeting
today with beneficiary advocate groups on improving the delivery of social services by government agencies. Today’s
meeting was the first post-election opportunity for the groups to meet with the Minister.
“I’m very pleased that we will be able to harness the expertise of beneficiary advocacy groups. Their grass-roots
knowledge will be very useful to us. Part of the change agenda we have as a Government is building the capacity of
government agencies to be excellent providers of social services.
“Over the last nine years these groups have been very critical of the previous National Government’s approach to welfare
services. National responded by cutting their funding in an attempt to silence their criticism. I am signalling a new
start. We do want to listen to advocacy groups and we will make available to them opportunities to share their valuable
experience.
“I’m currently exploring with WINZ how we can replicate today’s meeting regionally across the country because I also
want us to be able to harness the talents of those groups who couldn’t come to Wellington today. Getting their
collective skills and expertise on board is a major step forward in improving our social security services”, Mr. Maharey
said.
ENDS