Thursday, August 26, 2021

Most open and transparent govt ever

Most open and transparent govt ever. That's what the Prime Minister, who charged herself with bettering outcomes for NZ children, promised. 

I monitor the Ministry of Social Development's website daily.

Today the following notice appeared:

Every five years, New Zealand reports to the United Nations about what they are doing to make sure children’s rights are met. 

The government has apparently prepared a response and says:

We would like your feedback on how well the Government has responded to the issues raised by the Committee.

Furthermore:

Submissions are welcomed and encouraged from-

children and young people

forums that operate on behalf of children and young people

iwi and Māori engagement forums, particularly those that work with tamariki and rangatahi Māori

parents

interested individuals and experts

non-governmental organisations (NGOs)

professionals who work with children.

Wonderful. Inclusive. Participatory.

Except the notification appeared today and...

The opening date for submissions and feedback is Tuesday 20 July 2021.

The closing date for submissions and feedback is Tuesday 31 August 2021.

So the notice appears 28 working days after the opening date and 3 working days before the submission closing date. 

No I'm not mistaken. MSD even dated the public notification:


This is a very shonky and incompetent government. Make no mistake.

Ardern will not want a report to the UN reflecting badly on her. The opportunity for criticism is minimised.

But 3 working days in lock down is three days when many people may have time on their hands.

Make a submission. I'm going to.

I may even mention the lack of commitment to 'open and transparent government'.


5 comments:

Zoe Black said...

Thanks for putting this out.

James said...

The sycophantic media is complicit. Our democracy is in darkness.

Mark Wahlberg said...

Lindsay, I'm in awe of your patience and understanding of how the game is played when dealing with the tail that wags the dog.  Imagine the chaos if there was no email? 

Oh wait.........

15 months ago  I had an issue and I asked the HRC and or RRC for their opinion of my thoughts on a local council initiative.

over the next 12 months I corresponded with a specific individual who assured me the Commission was taking my situation seriously  (my words)

3 months ago after not having heard anything for a while, I sent a catchup email. "Hows it going" asked? 

They replied. 21/5/2021

"Kia ora Mark,

My sincerest apologies for the delay in responding to both your original concern and your most recent correspondence.

I have re-prioritised this mahi and am hoping to provide something to my manager for sign-out in the coming days. I had started this when last spoke but got diverted with other mahi so will need to refamiliarize myself with where I got to.

Again I apologise for the delay and hope to get back to you very soon.

Ngā mihi"

All went quiet again, so last Monday I flicked off another email to the individual at the other end asking about progress?

My email was promptly returned with the rider ."invalid address! I suspect the person involved no longer works for the organisation and I wonder if my file even exists? 

I've sent more emails to the organisation in general seeking  some clarity?  Because of the lockdown, I'm not expecting a reply anytime soon. 

On the treadwheel of our lives, perhaps  the message should be "Its the journey, not the destination."

Wandering Kiwi said...

Is there a link to the submission, I looked on the Parliamentary submission site and could not find it

What name is the submission under. Thanks for your time and thanks for the alert.

Regards Julia

Lindsay Mitchell said...

Julia,
Report and address for submissions here: https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/monitoring/uncroc/reporting/index.html