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Matt Reid: Barnardos Chief Executive on helpline funding reversal · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: So Children's Minister Cantour has reversed an orang A Tamaiki
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: decision to pull funding from the Bernardo's helpline. And this
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: comes after olng A Tamariki providers were given very little
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: notice that their funding would end, which resulted in much
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: tears approcessed by the way that the Auditor General is
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: looking into. The Minister has told a Tamariki to pause
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: its review of funding and extend existing contracts with providers
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: until the end of the year. So Bernardo's chief executive
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Matt Reed joins me, Now, good morning to your matte.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: Good morning injury.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: So a reprieve, but you'd probably argue you shouldn't have
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: ever been in danger anyway.
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: Oh Andrew, it's been a really difficult process with a Rangatamriki.
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: But I understand the focus on the corresponsibility. So I've
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: got the nrdest job to do, arguably doing the most
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: important work so that the've you know, there's been a
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: fiscal squeeze and I've had some tough decisions to make,
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: so I do understand.
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: Okay, how are you told about the funding decision being reversed?
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: So I've got an email from the Minister's office yesterday morning.
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: Obviously we were delighted. I eight hundred. What's up as
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: a really important service for five to nineteen year olds
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: doing doing professional counseling for young ones when they need
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: instant support and advice?
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: Okay? And what's it like trying to get a contract
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: from Olang and Tamariki? How torturous is it or not?
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: And again it's been a difficult process around contracting. But
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: again I understand the context. They have a difficult job,
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: but there's only so much money and they are focusing
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: rightfully on care and protection, which is you know, young
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: people in care and FINO young people close to care.
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: So I do understand, and I think the greater challenge
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: here is the whole of government challenge around how these
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: other services, particularly prevention early intervention services get funded again.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: Fix it at the source and you don't get bigger
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: problems down further down the track. So you've got funding
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: for a year and then the courses up in the
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: air again. So what can you do with that?
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: Well, I think we need to understand a bit more
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: detail about the announcement yesterday. My reading of it is
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: that the funding form walks up will continue beyond this year,
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: which we're delighted about. For Bernardo's EARTC. We have to
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: raise the other half of the cost of the service
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: ourselves through incredible partners like Milford Foundation in OfficeMax and
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: amazing New Zealanders, and so that call to action is
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: still there from Barnardo's. We still need support to keep
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: this really important service going. Obviously the government decision yesterday
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: has been hugely helpful.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: This community help and altruism is a good thing. So
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: if someone listening to this wants to give you some
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: money to do the WhatsApp thing, how could they do that?
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: Please look at it. Please look at our website. Contact
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: anyone at Bernardo's contact me personally, but you can go
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: straight to our website and have a look at the
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: firstly the incredible work serving thirteen thousand young people every year,
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: and if you want to support, we would obviously be
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: really thankful for that.
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: All right, Matt, got to work. You've got great work
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: to do, and I thank you so much for your time.
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: Matt Reid. He is Bonado's chief executive.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: For more from early edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live
• 3:13
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• 3:16
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