Father's role

Christchurch Press.
Letters to editor
16 January 2008

Fathers’ role


The article titled “Winz stance irritates solo dad “(10 Jan) struck a chord with me. It seems this government does not respect or value fatherhood.

Surely it would be appropriate for government agencies to help out a parent regardless of their gender, as that is in the ‘child’s best interests’.

Children do not understand gender discrimination and any effort by the state to undermine a father’s ability to cope as a loving parent involved in the most important nurturing years has serious flow on consequences for society.

As in this case, the children’s mother has confidence in this father’s parental ability, and she has handed him a bigger role to which he has gratefully accepted. Children need dads, too, and people's instincts about parenting back up what research has been telling us for years.

Policy makers need to catch up with reality because involving responsible dads has a huge impact on a child's well-being and life chances.

Peter Burns


www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4349349a24035.html -


Winz stance irritates solo dad
By Phil Hamilton - The Press | Thursday 10 January.



At the end of an average week, solo father Lee Brown reckons he has about $20 left after paying his bills.

And that money goes on putting petrol in his car so he can take his children out at the weekend.

The 32-year-old has had sole custody of seven-year-old Samantha for the past four years and also looks after his son in the weekend, as well as regularly caring for two other daughters while their mother works.

For that he gets $255 a week. Once his Housing New Zealand rent is deducted he has $171 with which to pay for food and other bills.

"So they don't make it easy," he said.

The former air-conditioning technician was forced to give up a good job when he took over the care of Samantha.

"When I gave it up I was earning $700 a week so it was a big adjustment," he said.

The Government has been accused of trying to hush up a report harshly critical of its reform of the domestic purposes benefit (DPB) and its impact on struggling single parents such as Brown.

The study by the Rotorua People's Advocacy Centre focused on the Personal Development and Employment Plan case-management process and its impact on the family work-life balance of 15 recipients.

Social Development and Employment Minister Ruth Dyson has said the report was biased and based on poor research.

However, Brown said it sounded much like his experience with Work and Income New Zealand (Winz) which had just tried to push him back into full-time work without regard for his responsibilities to his daughter.

"They just told me to find some work, but with my daughter at school I can only work from nine to three," he said.

"The job agencies I went to told me those were ladies' hours and I just won't get jobs.

"The only other time I could work would be at night but then I would have to get someone in to look after her ... my case manager expected me to work and look after her as well."

Brown has been given eight hours work by the Father and Child Trust, the maximum work he can do before his benefit is affected -- a low threshold which he said discouraged beneficiaries from working longer.

That job came about after he was helped out by the trust and did voluntary work for them in gratitude.

He also cares for his two daughters, Danielle and Paige, to his former partner, every day while she works.

"That way she doesn't have to fork out for babysitting and I get to see my kids."

Brown said he got the impression Winz did not value the work he did looking after Samantha and just wanted him off their books.

The feeling was mutual, Brown said.

"I would rather be working 40 hours a week, be earning $600 or $700 and get off the DPB completely and not have to worry about the benefit and dealing with them."