Launch of Levin’s Early Years Hub

Speech notes for Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Darren Hughes' address at the Launch of Levin's Early Years Hub, Horowhenua District Council, Levin

Rau rangatira maa,
tenei te mihi ki a koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te ra.
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

It is my pleasure to be here today for the launch of Levin’s Early Years Hub. This Hub is a great example of partnership across a range of government and non-government agencies. It shows what we can do when we all work together towards a common goal.  

Barnardos has long supported the welfare of children in New Zealand, and with the input from other local groups like Punahau, Plunket, Taitoko Kindergarten, the Horowhenua District Council, the Muaupoko Tribal Authority, and Te Runanga O Raukawa, children and their families in the Levin area will now be even better served. 

This project has been designed to develop new ways of connecting across the early childhood services in Levin. It’s been designed to develop methods of gathering information and understanding on what Levin families need and want so they can raise happy and successful children. And it’s been designed to facilitate a whole of community approach to supporting families to access appropriate services. 

The concept of Early Years Service Hubs is still a new one – we launched this programme in 2006, initially establishing seven hubs in high need areas. But we know that effective, early interventions for vulnerable families and their children have positive long term, wide ranging effects. We also know from talking with communities that services for families need to be better co-ordinated, and we need to help vulnerable families access and stay connected with the support that is available. 

Early Years Hubs help to address these issues. Not only do Hubs build on existing services, like Well Child, Early Childhood Education, and SKIP (Strategies for Parents, Information for Parents), but it also makes them more effective by improving their co-ordination and helping families to access them. Early intervention, plus easy access to appropriate services, are key to improving children's health and education. It reduces the likelihood of them offending as adults or becoming unemployed long term, and it helps reduce family abuse or neglect. 

Hubs work by enlisting seven core services - ante-natal; Well Child - Tamariki Ora; early childhood education (ECE); parenting information, education and support; home visiting; supported referrals to off-site services; and outreach. Plus an Early Years Service Worker is employed to work with those seven core services, providing better co-ordination of services. Terry McMinn was employed about a month ago and will serve as Levin’s Early Hub Service Worker. 

But don’t forget, this is your community, and your Hub. The opportunity is there to be responsive to local needs. This government believes that services often work best when they are provided by those who understand community needs, and they work best when they are tailored for individuals and families. There has already been extensive community consultation about the establishment of the Levin Hub, but that dialogue doesn’t stop now. 

Every day families will come in here, and they’ll have ideas about what they need and what they want. It will be your challenge to filter through all of those ideas and select the ones that merit attention. You have already started work on an innovative project to be funded from the Service Hubs Innovation Fund to support the work you do.  You’ll be able to use that funding to respond to specific gaps in Levin’s Early Years Services. 

For vulnerable families and their children, just knowing there’s a one-stop shop to get help can mean the difference between health and illness, or stress and happiness. This government knows that if we can take good care of the youngest members of our society – and if we can support the families taking care of young children – then we can make a real difference in the lives of all New Zealanders. After all, happy children means happy families means happy communities. 

I wish you all the very best in the months and years to come. I am sure that Levin and the wider community is going to benefit in many ways from the establishment of this Hub. 

Thank you.