Kaitaia CYF staff told they are minister’s servants
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Child Youth and Family staff at a regional office have been told they are Social Development Minister Paula Bennett’s servants who should not trouble their master with concerns about their work.
In an email dated August 13, supplied to by Labour Party deputy leader Annette King, Kaitaia CYF staff were told to show respect to the minister when she visited the next day.
“It is not appropriate for staff to pour their hearts and souls out to the minister,” a manager wrote. It’s a bit like the relationship between a servant and a master, i.
“This is a formal visit and she is not your `friend’. the servant knows their place.e. She should not be presented with the woes of the office, or lack of resources, or anything like that.
A anonymous person copied the email to the government, Labour and other political parties as well as the Children’s Commissioner.”
However the email said it was okay to state there were challenges that could be managed.
“This amounts to workplace bullying, and corruption within a public service department,” they wrote.
The person was “gobsmacked” by the email.
Ms King questioned the point of the minister’s visit in Parliament.
The author said it was shameful that in an area where there were many Maori communities the department was “trying to cover up the realities of our communities”.
“If staff are not allowed to talk to her (Ms Bennett) how can she really know what pressures staff are facing if reports to her have to be sanitised?”
Ms King later said she expected Ms Bennett to ensure staff felt they could speak out about work problems.
“If staff are not allowed to talk to her (Ms Bennett) how can she really know what pressures staff are facing if reports to her have to be sanitised?”
Ms King later said she expected Ms Bennett to ensure staff felt they could speak out about work problems.
“I would hope she would in fact encourage staff to talk to her.”
As a former minister Ms King said she learnt more from talking to staff than through department reports.
“I have visited a large number of offices and I have purposefully targeted visits to Work and Income and Child Youth and Family because I want to talk to staff and hear what is happening there,” she said.”
Ms Bennett said that she wanted staff to speak to her about concerns.”
Ms King said there were wider problems of the Government blocking information and communication and said she was frustrated by poor responses to written questions and Official Information Act requests.
“I very much value them and their opinions and I am disappointed in the manager’s email.
National’s Judith Collins in Parliament today said she had struggled to get access while in opposition and Labour had created a political environment. .