Monday 4 April 2005
Media Advisory

Families Commission to launch campaign What makes your family tick?

The Families Commission is launching a campaign, What makes your family tick?, to gather information about the lives of families with dependent children.

The Prime Minister, Rt Hon Helen Clark, will officially launch the campaign at the Otara Flea Markets, South Auckland, at 10am on Saturday 9 April.

The morning’s programme of live music includes a set of homegrown songs performed by Mike Chunn (Split Enz), Greg Clark (Citizen Band) and their teenage children. Hip hop, kapahaka and cultural groups will also provide entertainment.

What makes your family tick?, (what would make family life better?), targets the wide range of New Zealand families. It seeks their views on what is important for family life, what works against it, and the choices they have made for the sake of a better family life.

The Families Commission is an independent voice for families with the primary role of carrying out research that will help it advocate for changes to policies and services to better support families. The Commission is funded by and accountable to the government.

This is the first time so many New Zealand families have been asked to tell their stories. The campaign gives them the opportunity to have an influence on the issues the Commission takes forward in advocating on their behalf.

As part of the consultation process families are asked to respond to a publicly available question pack or to answer online. Focus group discussions, in-depth case studies and quantitative research will be carried out to ensure as many views as possible are taken into account.

The material can be found online at www.nzfamilies.org.nz

Media are invited to the campaign launch:

9.00am – 12.00 (PM speaks at 10.00am),
Saturday 9 April
Otara Market (see the attached map for the exact location)
Newbury Lane
South Auckland

ENDS

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