It doesn't make sense that beneficiaries are going to be forced to look for 20 hours a week of work once their child is three. Unless they have it good like me, I can't see how it will work for many, if any - all it does is create more stress, which must be pretty high already if you're a single parent raising a child on an impossibly tight income.
Anyway, my sick day meant I missed out on attending the Ministry for the Environment climate change consultation meeting in New Plymouth.
I've written about climate change many times so it's obviously important to me, but the job of looking after a sick child is also important - sometimes they just need their mum.
So now the responsibility rests with me to put in a written submission. It's not hard - I've done that before - but there is a deadline, next Wednesday. If you're interested in a simple summary of the critical issues, check out the Sustainable Business Network blog for their views, then head to www.mfe.govt.nz to submit.
Now, I'm not alone in caring about New Zealand setting a decent target for carbon emissions reduction prior to the global negotiations in Paris later this year - most of the consultation meetings were overflowing and several had to shift to larger venues to accommodate the level of interest, even with limited promotion of the meetings.
However, the central North Island wasn't well represented - apart from New Plymouth, Rotorua was the only place where meetings were held between Hamilton and Wellington. I know there were people in Whanganui and Palmerston North who would have attended if they had a chance. It feels like a rush job with corners being cut, which indicates a lack of value being placed on NZ taking a stand on climate emissions.
Now the flag debate is another story - that has been getting heaps of attention with a warm-up engagement campaign entitled "What do we stand for?" with its own website and social media profile.
The flag creates an interesting tension for me in terms of these ever-competing priorities. Firstly, I think a strong position on climate change or more effort to reduce child poverty is of more concern than a new flag. But then, I'm not a particular fan of our current flag. So yes I'm interested in change but would like to see it managed well and run in association with our constitutional review, which started in 2013 and seems to have sunk without a trace.
Interestingly the first flag consultation meeting held this month was poorly attended with less than 10 people turning up so perhaps I'm not alone there either.
So it's all back to priorities. I will submit on the climate target but unsure whether I'll bother with the flag roadshow, even with its slick advertising. I've got to save time for helping Mr Three with toilet training.
-Nicola Young has worked in the government and private sectors in Australia and NZ and now works from home in Taranaki for a national charitable foundation. Educated at Wanganui Girls' College, she has a science degree and is the mother of two boys.
