Chairman hears doubts

Press, 4 May 1988, Page 9

Chairman hears doubts

By OLIVER RIDDELL in Wellington

Cynicism about the Government and about the worth of making submissions to it have been noted by the Royal Commission on Social Policy. Its chairman, Sir Ivor Richardson, said yesterday that it had become clear early on that some people had had doubts about the value of having such a Royal Commission. Such people perceived that the Government was likely to go its own way, ignoring the views of the very people consulted, he said. The final report of the Royal Commission is due to be released on Friday. ■ Sir Ivor said some Maori groups had told the Royal Commission that submissions they had made over the years had not been acknowledged or

given official recognition. They questioned the value of putting effort into yet more submissions, he said.

Underlying all the submissions, from a broad spectrum of views, was a uniquely New Zealand statement of the "good society.” ’ It was one in which the individual had a say and a chance to determine his or her destiny, where there was a chance to strike out and express a choice, but where in the end there was a sense of community responsibility and of collective values that provided an environment of security, Sir Ivor said. Sir Ivor said many people had commented on; the close inter-relation-ship between social and economic policy, with the view that neither could be dealt with in isolation.