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QuestionACTGreenLabourNationalTe Pāti MāoriTOP
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A liveable income
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1. Will your party continue the work toward ensuring a living wage for all?-YesYesNoYesYes
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Rather than trying to find new ways of slicing up the cake, ACT is focused on growing the entire economy for all. A "living wage" is moot if New Zealand is a prosperous country with a growing economy...Since Labour came into government, we’ve worked hard to lift wages and reduce cost pressures on Kiwis, through measures like
cheaper doctor’s visits, free lunches in schools, and the family tax credit. We’ve steadily boosted the minimum wage – bringing it to
$21.20 per hour. We’ve delivered the largest pay increase for nurses, teachers and principals in over a decade. We’ve also passed the
Equal Pay Amendment Bill to ensure people who perform work of the same value are paid the same, and we’re implementing Fair
Pay Agreements, which will improve wages and conditions and support our economic recovery. 		New Zealanders are struggling with the cost of living, driven by high inflation.
National will strengthen the economy to reduce the cost of living and lift incomes for all. National supports a mandatory minimum wage being set in law and revised annually.
Some businesses voluntarily commit to paying their employees the living wage and we support their efforts to do this. We do not think it's realistic to impose the Living Wage on all businesses as some would be forced to let people go, or may completely fail.
Our policy is to immediately raise the minimum wage to the living wage and legislate for an annual increase to keep up with cost-of-living increases.
Universal basic income
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2. Will your party commit to adequate increases to welfare support, so that all whānau, whether on a main benefit, studying, in work, or caring for self or others, have a liveable income and can afford the essentials for families to thrive not just survive?NoYesYesYesYesYes
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Labour’s focus continues to be on the cost of living and easing the pressure on families. Our approach is working and shows that
we’ve made huge improvements in lifting incomes for low-income people and whānau across Aotearoa New Zealand. Since coming
into Government, we’ve continued to take tangible steps towards making our welfare system fairer so that people and families on
benets don’t fall further and further behind.
The first and most important steps we will take to helping lift people out of poverty is through fixing the economy. We will reverse the growing number of people on main benefits, and help ease the cost-of-living on all New Zealanders.Te Pāti Māori is absolutely committed to adequate increases to welfare support. Some of most immediate priorities that will have effect include:
• Removing financial penalties, sanctions and work-test obligations for beneficiaries
• Individualising benefits so that abatement is not incomes tested depending on who you choose to engage in a relationship with

We are also committed to ensuring our students are equipped to thrive so that they become outstanding contributors to Aotearoa’s future, by:
• Restoring all student allowance eligibility for postgraduate, part-time, and long course
• Creating a universal student allowance and double student allowance rates, in line with benefit increases
• Writing off the living cost component of all student loan debt		Universal basic income, welfare top ups still available
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3. Do you commit to individualise benefits so that people in relationships are not discriminated against and harmed by the welfare system?Need more evidenceYes--YesYes
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Labour is continuing our work towards a social sector that better serves our people and communities by improving how government commissions and works with social services, through ensuring responsive, whanau-centred and community-led services, which reflects their needs and aspirations, ensuring people, whanau and communities right across the country can expect to have their welfare needs at the heart of our social services. This includes removing unnecessary red-tape, through continuing to modernise our welfare system so that social sector organisations can support New Zealanders to live with dignity and deliver support where necessary.We will take a comprehensive look at the benefit system as whole to ensure beneficiaries who need support receive it while those who can work are supported into jobs. Individualising benefits is a long standing policy of ours and will absolutely go a long way to ensuring we rid the couples-based assessment. It is unjust, and unfair.
Universal basic income
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4. Will your party increase the Accommodation Supplement to ensure that it is accessible to those who need it, and it adequately reduces the cost of housing to affordable levels, regardless of where a person or whānau live in New Zealand?NoOther--OtherYes
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The Greens would welcome a review into the Accommodation Supplement, but we also recognise that ultimately, we must get to the heart of the issue: impossibly high rents caused by unlimited and almost entirely unregulated rent increases. Our Pledge to Renters will uphold renters’ rights by introducing rent controls and a rental WOF, and we’ll build thousands more warm, dry, aordable homes in the places people want to live. It will ensure incomes rise faster than rents, and alongside our Income Guarantee, will mean fewer people will need the Accommodation Supplement.
Labour has not released its manifesto. However, • We’re continuing to progress the Accommodation Supplement review, which aligns with
the Working for Families review. This will have an initial focus on increasing uptake of the accommodation supplement, as well as
consideration for an area boundary review to modernise current areas given the signicant amount of housing change since the latest
update in 2018. This is important by ensuring housing is aordable and accessible		The cost of housing and rent has risen dramatically under Labour. National’s priority will be fixing the housing market to put downward pressure on rents and house prices. We will continue to review benefit rates and other support, including the accommodation supplement, to ensure they are appropriate. With our plan to ensure everyone's first $30K goes tax free, including those on benefits and accommodation supplements, we are confident this will significantly equip an individual to be able to support themselves in this space
Universal basic income with welfare top ups as needed
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5. Will your party support continued funding for more diverse skills training to ensure young people, and those struggling with employment, can gain meaningful employment and fulfilling career pathways to aspire to?-YesYes - YesYes
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ACT want education reforms to ensure that all youth have the skills for gaining employment. ACT's education policies support more diverse education opportunities, and reject "one size fits all" centralised approaches. ACT supports more intensive case management to assist beneficiaries into work.We’ve supported more than 60,000 New Zealanders through free trades training and apprenticeships, and we’ve announced an
extension to the Apprenticeship Boost scheme.
We’ve brought back the Training Incentive Allowance for higher-skill courses, to help more than 4,170 (to the end of December 2022)
sole parents, carers, and people with disabilities aord the cost of study and take the next steps toward careers.
Since the expansion of Flexi-Wage in February 2021, Flexi Wage has supported almost 25,000 people into work, and we’ve supported
more than 5,000 young people into employment, education, or training through He Poutama Rangatahi. 		We will take a comprehensive look at the job and training programs that are currently being offered and evaluate their pros and cons. We will look to add programs in areas that are lacking and cut programs that are providing adequate support and skills. Aside from creating new training opportunities for young people, we would ensure that anyone in training and education has enough income to live with dignity.
Invest in night classes
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6. Will your party introduce tax policies that fairly redistribute wealth to address inequalities and invest in critical socialservices such as education, health, justice and welfare?YesYes - NoYesYes
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ACT proposes a simplified fairer two-tier tax system, with a tax credit for lower income New Zealanders. This will ensure all New Zealanders are better off, and a simplified system is less prone to abuse and evasion. The tax policy will ensure that health, justice and welfare services are funded at the same level.Labour has launched a major cost of living package that removes GST from fruit and vegetables and delivers the largest ever boost to the
In-Work Tax Credit to approximately 160,000 families. o GST to be removed from fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables from 1 April 2024 o
Boost to In-Work Tax Credit by $25 a week to $97.50 – largest ever increase to IWTC will benet approximately 160,000 families The cost
of living is the biggest issue facing New Zealanders in this election. Cutting GST from fruit and vegetables and boosting Working for Families
will ease the pressure on families as we get through this inationary cycle.		National will fund and deliver the quality public services New Zealanders deserve. National opposes a wealth tax because it would harm our already fragile economy and put people’s jobs and incomes at risk. National will stop wasteful spending, and ensure funding is prioritised towards frontline services – where it will have the most impact for New Zealanders.
We will grow the economy so that the funding available for public services grows over time.
Our tax policy is the reform our broken tax system needs. It is all about redistribution of wealth, and will crack down hard on the greedy in support of the needy.

We will achieve this by:
- Wealth tax: A 2% tax on net wealth over $2 million, rising to 4% on net wealth over $5m, and 8% on wealth over $10m
- Higher company tax: Reversing National's 2008 cut to the company tax rate, bringing it from 28% to 33%
- Foreign companies tax: Introducing an additional 2% tax on overseas-based companies' financial transfers
- Land banking tax: Introducing a 33% tax on land value increases, for land that remains undeveloped four years after purchase (with an exemption for Māori freehold land)
- Vacant house tax: A new 33% tax on the market value of properties that remain untenanted for six months or more
- Tax evasion crackdown: Investing $500m into the Serious Fraud Office and Inland Revenue to investigate the $7b lost to tax evasion every year
Tax switch policy
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7. Will you introduce pay transparency legislation in the next term of government?NoYesYesYesYesYes
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Compulsory pay transparency is a breach of personal information. If individual businesses or workers wish to disclose their pay, that is for them.Labour has taken action on pay transparency - around 900 entities with over 250 employees will be required to publicly report their
gender pay gap, and later those with over 100 workers. The reality is that women have dierent experiences in the workplace than
men, and change is needed. Requiring companies to publish their gender pay gap will encourage them to address the drivers of
those gaps and increase transparency for workers. Labour is also committed to exploring the inclusion of ethnicity in pay gap
reporting as Māori, Pacic peoples and other ethnic groups often face the compounding impact of both gender and ethnic pay gaps.
Through this next phase of consultation we’ll be able to consider the inclusion of ethnicity before legislation is drafted		National supports moves to assure equality and equity for girls and women in New Zealand.
National introduced the Equal Pay Act and made pay gap reporting transparent in the public sector.
We support moves to require large firms to report on their gender pay gap.
We are 100% committed to ensuring employers are transparent with and fully disclose their pay-bands, to ensure that our whānau, when applying for jobs know where they'll be valued for the contribution they make to the business and the economy.
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Tick for Kids reflections / recommendationsWe want to have a society where children flourish in a family with an income level that is adequate to meet the cost of living. High income nations such as New Zealand can afford to support families via a living wage so that all whānau, whether they are income earners, main benefit holders, studying, in work, or caring for self or others can thrive and not just survive. We urge the incoming government to make changes to relationship status policy that privileges relationships at the cost of individual agency. We want to see the introduction of individualised benefits to align with an individualised income tax system so that sole parents and other groups who are reliant on a benefit are not disadvantaged. Additionally we argue for continued funding for diverse skills training to build the skills and capabilities of our people. Finally we seek a commitment to introduce tax policies that fairly redistribute wealth to address inequalities and invest in social services such as education, health, justice and welfare which are critical for the development and wellbeing of all our children in Aotearoa.
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Care and Protection
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1. Do you commit to ensuring legislation, policy and practice that meets New Zealand's commitments under UNCRC and the recommendations from UN CRC's concluding observations?NoYes - YesYesYes
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Labour is committed to continuing our progress on child poverty and inequality, so that we can make New Zealand the best place in the world to be a child. Since 2017, we’ve worked consistently to lift children out of poverty, tackle cost of living pressures, and lift the incomes of Kiwi families. Now, as our economic recovery gains momentum, we’re continuing to put the wellbeing of children at the centre of everything we do. We’re working relentlessly to turn around New Zealand’s record on child poverty. Our policies have seen around 77,000 children lifted out of poverty so far, and the latest figures show all nine child poverty measures continue to trend downwards. We’ve also made sure child wellbeing remains a priority for successive governments.
National supports the commitments New Zealand has made under the UNCRC and will continue to work to improve our legislative and policy settings to protect children from harm. Anti corruption commission to hold all governments to account over recommendations
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2. Do you commit to implementing policies/legislation and resources to achieve better outcomes for all children in New Zealand unable to live in their home of origin?YesYesYesOtherYesYes
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ACT are seeking significant reforms of Oranga Tamariki, including more flexible provision of services for children.Labour requires that agencies must work together on the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan, which requires the Chief Executives of
Oranga Tamariki, the Police, and the Ministries of Education, Social Development, Health, and Justice to work together to achieve better outcomes for the children and young people in care. Examples of these positive impacts include Oranga Tamariki and Kāinga Ora working together to increase the number of homes available for disabled children who require more intensive support. Kāinga Ora have purchased seven homes in Christchurch, Wellington and Orewa with three more to come in Canterbury and Nelson. In the health space children in Oranga Tamariki residences will be able to transition smoothly between healthcare providers because of a new data system jointly developed by Te Whatu Ora and Oranga Tamariki. This partnership has also led to initiatives such as senior social worker liaison roles being introduced at Starship’s actute mental health unit, with the positions to be introduced in Wellington and Canterbury after the successful trial.
National’s goal is for every child in New Zealand to be safe from harm and have the opportunities and care they need to thrive, whether they be living with their parents, a family member or in State Care. Noting this is not currently the case for too many of our young people, there is clearly more work to do and National is committed to working with all parties to achieve this. Our Mokopuna Māori policy is fundamentally based around whānau caring for babies. It's tikanga Māori practice to do this and is something most whānau done in their past time.

To do this, Te Pāti Māori asserts a Mokopuna Māori plan that will transition away from our children being in state care, and on the basis of that ensure that we introduce adequate supports so that these babies are raised by whānau with the support they all need to become thriving contributors.
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3. Will you support Māori- and community-led solutions to keep tamariki with their whānau, and preserve their sense of belonging and identity?YesYesYesOtherYesYes
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Yes - ACT support devolved provision of social services. However, the priority must be the welfare of the child above all other considerations, which is why ACT will seek repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act.Please provide detail on how you plan on achieving this:
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-takes-steps-further-protect-rights-tamariki		National’s bottom line is the safety and protection of children. We will be highly supportive of community-led and Māori-led solutions if there is evidence they can achieve this goal.

This is an absolute commitment in our policy platform. Too many Māori babies are in the care of the state, our platform ensures that we place care in the hands of whānau - how it should be.

We will;
Require our Mokopuna Māori Authority to establish a partnership network across hapū, iwi and Māori organisations to ensure mokopuna Māori remain connected to their whakapapa and identity
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4. Will you commit to implementing policies that prioritise and support meaningful engagement and collaboration with tamariki and rangatahi, families and whānau throughout the child protection process, while also monitoring and evaluating its implementation in practice?YesYesYesYesYesYes
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ACT will:
Establish an accessible and child-friendly monitoring system which is truly independent from Government
Offer kids the continuity of support in care they need by dividing the ‘social worker’ duties into a ‘Mentor’, focussed on support and advocacy, and a ‘Child Protection Officer,’ focussed on statutory duties.
Increase public accountability of OT’s Chief Executive
Devolve service provision, empowering support from within communities
Make caregiving more attractive to address a national shortage
Transfer youth justice functions from OT to Corrections		Labour is committed to continuing our progress on child poverty and inequality, so that we can make New Zealand the best place in
the world to be a child. Amendments to he Oranga Tamariki Act binds Oranga Tamariki to a practical commitment to the Treaty of
Waitangi / Te Tiriti o Waitangi (‘the Treaty’) while ensuring our policies and practices have the objective of improving outcomes for
tamariki, rangatahi and whānau Māori. Oranga Tamarikis policies, practices and services must also reduce disparities for tamariki,
rangatahi and whānau Māori while also having regards for mana tamaiti, whakapapa and whanaungatanga.		National’s bottom line is the safety and protection of children. We will work with children, their families, community providers and NGOs to ensure that children are receiving the best care possible throughout the child protection process.
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5. Will you commit to implementing all recommendations by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Abuse of Children in State- and Faith-based care?Need more evidenceYesYesNeed more evidenceYesYes
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Labour will ensure that all the nal report recommendations, including those stemming from the Lake Alice report, are thoroughly
and promptly considered.
National will respond to recommendations made by the Royal Commission once the final report has been completed.
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6. Will you commit to putting in systems of accountability for Oranga Tamariki, with clear actions and consequences for failing to meet basic standards?YesYes - YesOtherYes
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ACT’s visionary overhaul of Oranga Tamariki will create a more humane and accountable system focussed on children’s safety and freedom from abuse and neglect. By creating transparent and independent systems of accountability, it will eliminate the “sweep it under the rug” attitude which has been so pervasive in the state care system. By splitting the social worker into ‘mentor’ and ‘child protection officer,’ ACT will create a system where vulnerable children have a consistent figure to support and care for them throughout their time in state care.Labour requires that agencies must work together on the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan, which requires the Chief Executives of Oranga Tamariki, the Police, and the Ministries of Education, Social Development, Health, and Justice to work together to achieve better outcomes for the children and young people in care. Examples of these positive impacts include Oranga Tamariki and Kāinga Ora working together to increase the number of homes available for disabled children who require more intensive support. Kāinga Ora have purchased seven homes in Christchurch, Wellington and Orewa with three more to come in Canterbury and Nelson. In the health space children in Oranga Tamariki residences will be able to transition smoothly between healthcare providers because of a new data system jointly developed by Te Whatu Ora and Oranga Tamariki. This partnership has also led to initiatives such as senior social worker liaison roles being introduced at Starship’s actute mental health unit, with the positions to be introduced in Wellington and Canterbury after the successful trial. National is dedicated to the care and protection and welfare of New Zealand children and young persons in State care and to put in systems of OT care and protection accountabilities, policies and processes which aim to enhance and prioritise the checks and balances of the National Care Standards with the first and foremost priority of ensuring our children and young people are kept safe and protectedNo form of system of accountability is going to fix a broken system. It needs to be abolished and Te Pāti Māori has a transition plan in the waiting. Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results is plain stupidity.
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7. Will your party pledge to prioritise Te Aorerekura in their action plan, ensuring that all communities and tangata whenua are actively involved in preventing and reducing harm for tamariki and whānau across Aotearoa New Zealand?Need more evidenceYesYesOtherYesYes
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We want to see a justice system where victims are heard and protected, and our track record demonstrates this. We have tripled the funding to the Victim Assistance Scheme and doubled the funding to Victim Support.
We will also introduce legislation to give greater protections and rights to the victims of family and sexual violence.
Signicant progress is being made towards the Government’s goal of eliminating family violence and sexual violence. Launched only
recently, Te Aorerekura is already delivering results. For example, the primary prevention and community-led responses that are so
importantly prioritised in Te Aorerekura received a signicant boost in this year’s Budget.
For the first time, Budget 2023 includes a gender budgeting ‘snapshot’, ensuring that budgets can support a gender-equitable,
inclusive future
o Budget 2023 funds several initiatives aimed at supporting victims and survivors of family and sexual violence and eliminating
violence, both online and offline.
We have also launched new family violence workforce capability frameworks for organisations and practitioners, so more people
have the knowledge and skills they need to respond appropriately to violence and enable long-term healing.
The Government is on track to deliver all 40 actions in the rst action plan for Te Aorerekura - Aotearoa New Zealand’s first ever
National Strategy to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence. 		We agree with the 25 year strategy to eliminate family and sexual violence and will translate the strategy of Te Aorerekura into an action plan with targets and measures to ensure that there is action and accountability.
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8. Will you commit to building and strengthening workforce safeguarding and child protection capability and capacity to help prevent and reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect?Need more evidenceYesYesYesYesYes
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Over the past four years, OT has signicantly increased the number of specialist Māori roles across all levels. These specialist roles
help improve our involvement and relationships with local hapū and iwi which leads to better placement of tamariki with their
whānau, hapū or iwi when necessary.
New Zealand’s child welfare, care and protection and youth justice systems and workforce are critical to the overall wellbeing of at-risk children. National will work to strengthen safeguards to ensure those working in these systems have the appropriate expertise, experience and skills to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect.
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Do you have any further comments or policies on this theme you would like to highlight?N/AWhen universal basic income eradicate poverty in New Zealand, many other social issues will be resolved.
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Tick for Kids reflections / recommendationsWe want to see an Aotearoa New Zealand where the Government takes seriously its parental responsibility for tamariki in care. Consequently, we seek commitment to align legislation, policy, and practice with UNCRC, implementing its recommendations to protect children's futures. We advocate for a system that works in active partnership with tamariki, rangatahi, whānau, communities and tangata whenua to prevent and reduce harm and family separation; and provide quality and culturally appropriate alternative care and support services. This includes upholding commitments to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We emphasise the need for equitable access to support for all children in care, including those outside the formal system.
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Housing
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1. Does your party have a long-term housing strategy with affordable, culturally appropriate solutions for families on low incomes, Māori and Pacific whānau, migrant families, people with disabilities, and/or with needs for assisted living, whether renting or buying a home?YesYesYesYesYesYes
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The solution to the housing shortage is to build more homes, by removing barriers such as the RMA, and incentivising people to invest in rental stock.New Zealand’s housing crisis has been decades in the making, and there’s no quick x – but we’re making good progress.
1 in 7 of all public homes in NZ were delivered under this Government, and we’re on track to deliver over 18,000 new public and transitional housing places by 2024.
We’ve made renting fairer for Kiwi families.We have modernised the outdated Residential Tenancies Act by banning no-cause
terminations, limiting rent increases to once a year, and enabling tenants to make changes like quake-proofing. We got rid of unfair
letting fees, which drove up costs for families. We’re also working to regulate the residential property management sector, to
protect both renters and landlords. 		See National’s “Going for Housing Growth” plan available on our website. Our Social Housing plan will be released soon. Te Pāti Māori housing platform is centred on building thriving communities. We will do this by:
- Giving 98% of New Zealanders a significant tax cut to ensure their money is kept in their pocket, to afford housing
- Ensure we support the disabilities sector by immediately requiring all new state houses to be accessible, with a retrofit of existing houses in the next 5-years and work towards changing building consent laws requiring all new-builds to be accessible		Multiple housing policies, starting with a
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2. Will you continue to implement and enforce the Healthy Homes Standards to ensure social housing and rental homes are healthy places to live?Need more evidenceYesYesYesYesYes
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We’ve introduced our Healthy Homes Standard for rental properties to ensure everyone has a warm, dry place to live. Landlords will
have to ensure their properties comply with heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture, and draught standards. Also, Warmer Kiwi
Homes has delivered almost 80,000 insulation and heating installs in low-income homes since 2018, ensuring more low-income
families have healthy homes and reduced power bills.
See National’s “Going for Housing Growth” plan available on our website. Our Social Housing plan will be released soon.
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3. Does your party commit to continuing to upgrade the existing social housing stock and to build more social housing homes to meet the housing needs of whānau on low incomes?NoYesYesYesYesYes
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New Zealand’s housing crisis has been decades in the making, and there’s no quick x – but we’re making good progress.
1 in 7 of all public homes in NZ were delivered under this Government, and we’re on track to deliver over 18,000 new public and
transitional housing places by 2024.
We’ve made renting fairer for Kiwi families.We have modernised the outdated Residential Tenancies Act by banning no-cause
terminations, limiting rent increases to once a year, and enabling tenants to make changes like quake-proong. We got rid of unfair
letting fees, which drove up costs for families. We’re also working to regulate the residential property management sector, to
protect both renters and landlords.		See National’s “Going for Housing Growth” plan available on our website. Our Social Housing plan will be released soon. We commit to building new state homes but also will commit to a full inquiry into empty stock that is currently available. In the last census, 194-thousand homes across the country were vacant. The stock is theoretically available by investors banking homes to line their pockets. We will crack down on the standing supply to ensure we can free it up and make it available for those on waitlists. Fund for community housing
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4. Will your party commit to developing, implementing and resourcing a specific regional and national strategy to address youth homelessness?NoYes - YesYesYes
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See National’s “Going for Housing Growth” plan available on our website. Our Social Housing plan will be released soon.
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5. Will your party commit to engaging and working with rangatahi and community providers in the youth homelessness sector to improve and redevelop the system to be rangatahi and sector led?Need more evidenceYesYesYesYesYes
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We’re redesigning the emergency housing system and make sure it is supporting New Zealanders in the manner they need. Also,
through the Aotearoa New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan, we are supporting more than 10,000 people at risk of or who are
experiencing homelessness over three years. 		See National’s “Going for Housing Growth” plan available on our website. Our Social Housing plan will be released soon.
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Tick for Kids reflections / recommendationsChildren need an affordable, safe and healthy home so they can thrive, lead healthy lives and reach their potential. We want to see an Aotearoa that has a robust and long-term housing strategy that will meet the needs of families on low incomes, Māori whānau and Pasifika aiga, migrant families, people with disabilities and those with needs for assisted living. We advocate for the government to enforce the Healthy Homes Standards, commit to building more social housing and upgrading the existing stock, and address youth homelessness as an urgent priority. We call on the government to take leadership and ensure that every young person in Aotearoa New Zealand has a safe and affordable home to live in.
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Health and wellbeing
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1. Will you commit to fully implementing and funding Pae Ora health reforms, including maintaining Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority, to address health inequities for tamariki Māori?NoYesYesYesYesYes
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The health system we inherited was under serious pressure from years of neglect and underinvestment. It wasn’t working for
patients or the health workforce, so we passed legislation to create a truly united public health entity, and we properly funded our health system. The health system we inherited didn’t treat everyone fairly. The care you received depended more on who you are and where you live, rather than what you needed. First we united a disconnected health system so it can focus on the future. The Māori Health Authority will guide our waka, and to carve a new future direction for all Māori. Māori will work in partnership with Health NZ to deliver a future where Māori are healthier, live longer and have access to services that meet their needs		National believes in the devolution of health care decision making close to the home and hapu as opposed to centralised “Wellington knows best”. Te Pāti Māori was the only party to campaign on establishing the Māori Health Authority in 2020, and we are prepared to defend it. A report commissioned recently to discredit a kaupapa Māori solution for it's work over the last 9-months is a deliberate set up to justify it's disestablishment.

We will continue to fund it, and increase its funding by 23%.
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2. Will you continue to strengthen legislation to prevent children’s (under 18’s) access to vaping products, and support children and young people to stop vaping uptake and quit vaping?NoYesYesYesYesYes
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Labour has introduced new regulations to limit youth vaping have been conrmed and will come into eect on 21 September this
year. We have set the maximum nicotine levels to balance the need for sucient nicotine to be an eective smoking cessation
device, while limiting the risk of nicotine addiction, especially for young people, and particularly from cheap single-use vaping
products.
The impact of these regulations will continue to be monitored. Nothing is o the table in terms of what we need to do to make sure
we see a reduction in youth vaping while retaining sucient tools for smoking cessation.
We’re creating a future where tobacco products are no longer addictive, appealing or as readily available, and the same needs to
apply to vaping 		We have been saying for months that we haven’t got our policy settings around youth vaping right, and we support moves to strengthen these. We will implement these changeSee vaping petition
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3. Will you take action to prevent, monitor and regulate young people’s and children’s exposure to the targeted marketing of vapes, unhealthy foods, prescription medicines and sugary drinks, and alcohol?Need more evidenceYesYesNeed more evidenceYesYes
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Labour has introduced new regulations to limit youth vaping have been conrmed and will come into eect on 21 September this
year. We have set the maximum nicotine levels to balance the need for sucient nicotine to be an eective smoking cessation
device, while limiting the risk of nicotine addiction, especially for young people, and particularly from cheap single-use vaping
products.
The impact of these regulations will continue to be monitored. Nothing is o the table in terms of what we need to do to make sure
we see a reduction in youth vaping while retaining sucient tools for smoking cessation.
We’re creating a future where tobacco products are no longer addictive, appealing or as readily available, and the same needs to
apply to vaping 		We support health promotion activities and local decision making from organisations such as boards and trusts.
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4. Will you commit to increasing funding to improve access to specialist mental health and addiction services, and alcohol and other drug (AOD) support services for children and young people, and strengthen targeted measures to reduce youth suicide?YesYesYesYesYesYes
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ACT will create a stand alone resourced body, Mental Health and Addicition New Zealand.The system we inherited was under serious pressure from years of neglect and underinvestment. Consequently, we are building
primary care mental health services from the ground up.
This includes investing $1.9 billion into mental health at Budget 19, funding counsellors in 164 schools, investing in new and existing
mental health and addiction facilities and re-established the Mental Health Commission. 		National is committed to improving the access to mental health and addiction services, as well as AOD services for young people. National will achieve this by tackling the workforce crisis which is currently the biggest barrier to timely Mental Health and addictions care. National will also get money out of Wellington by co-investing with community groups already doing good through the Mental Health Innovation Fund
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5. Will you commit to maintaining all primary care prescriptions free for everyone?NoYes - NoYesYes
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People in need with a Community Services Card already had free prescriptions.Last year more than 29 million items were dispensed that attracted a co payment. An estimated 135,000 adults did not collect their
prescriptions because of cost in 2021/22. This is particularly the case for low-income families and whanau. By removing the $5 co-payment we’re making it easier for Kiwis to access the medicines they need. This will ease pressure on households and our health system		National will target free prescriptions to those who need it most – low-income Kiwis and superannuitants. We will use the savings to fund access to 13 new cancer treatments that are funded in Australia but not here.
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Tick for Kids reflections / recommendationsWe want to see an Aotearoa where healthcare is accessible and equitable for children and their families. We consider the full implementation of Pae Ora Health reforms and maintaining Te Aka Whai Ora – the Māori Health Authority – key to reducing health inequities and supporting positive outcomes for tamariki. We must work tirelessly to improve health outcomes for those who have traditionally not been well-served by our health system – particularly Māori, Pasifika and disabled people.
We seek greater leadership from government in the regulation of products that negatively impact children and young people’s health. Preventative measures must be taken to limit children’s exposure to vaping, and the marketing of unhealthy foods, alcohol, prescription medicines and sugary drinks.
Urgent action is needed to address New Zealand’s continued high rates of mental distress and suicide among children and young people. We challenge political parties to be bold in improving access to specialist mental health and addiction services.
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Education
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1. Will your party act to prevent harm to child health, especially infant and toddler mental health, protect Kaiako, and improve the quality of ECE, by committing to an urgent improvement to, 1 teacher to 4 children, for children under two years, and 1 teacher to eight children for 2 year olds, within the next term of government?NoYes - NoYesYes
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Labour has made signicant investment into ECE and is providing nearly $1.2 billion to extend the 20 Hours ECE subsidy to two-year-olds and increases the 20 Hours ECE subsidy rate. This supports parents and whānau with two-year-olds to access ECE and participate in the workforce. Through Budget 23 we have made some of the biggest investment ever seen in ECE, which will help centres transitioning to the extension of 20 hours free for 2 year olds, and address the cost pressures centres are facing. Not immediately. National will undertake a review to look at funding, pay parity implementation, qualifications and regulations utilising the sector Expert Advisory Group so there would be no changes prior to that
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2. Will your party commit to increasing minimum space requirements per child in both indoor and outdoor environments in Early Childhood Centres, and that must be accessible to all children, in the next term of government?NoYes - - Skip this questionYes
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Our Government is committed to barrier-free access to education for all students. We are committed to supporting learners with the
highest needs to ensure all young people are receiving the education they deserve. This Government is also investing in family carers by
ensuring that parents, spouses and resident family members can be paid for support services if they provide care to a family member who has been assessed as having more than ‘very low’ needs. 		The sector has been under enormous pressure and implementing this prior to a review would put added pressure on centres with regard to the number of children they could enrol and higher fees for parents. This would be looked at after the review is undertaken
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3. Will your party address the negative effects upon children and teachers by reducing the maximum numbers permitted in group sizes for children in centre-based, teacher-led, Early Childhood Centres, in the next term of government?NoYes - OtherYesYes
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Our Government is committed to barrier-free access to education for all students. We are committed to supporting learners with the
highest needs to ensure all young people are receiving the education they deserve. This Government is also investing in family carers by
ensuring that parents, spouses and resident family members can be paid for support services if they provide care to a family member who
has been assessed as having more than ‘very low’ needs. 		We will consider this within the overall review
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4. Will your party commit to adequately funding timely assessment and well-resourced learning and behaviour support for children to enable inclusion regardless of ability or disability?Need more evidenceYes - OtherYesYes
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Our Government is committed to barrier-free access to education for all students. We are committed to supporting learners with the
highest needs to ensure all young people are receiving the education they deserve. This Government is also investing in family carers by
ensuring that parents, spouses and resident family members can be paid for support services if they provide care to a family member who
has been assessed as having more than ‘very low’ needs.
We are yet to release our ECE policy.
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5. Will your party make a sustained commitment to fund and resource Ka Ora Ka Ako - Healthy School Lunches Programme to embed this policy as a permanent part of education delivery in New Zealand?NoYesYesNeed more evidenceYesYes
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Yes. Evidence shows that as a result of this programme kids are experiencing better quality of life and learning outcomes as well as physical, social and emotional functioning. We know that when kids are fed and healthy they learn better.National supports the programme in principle and will look at whether it can be improved and whether it is delivering desired outcomes.
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6. Will your party support the inclusion of child rights learning in the New Zealand Curricula to ensure all children have the opportunity to learn about their rights?NoYesSkipOtherYesYes
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National supports individual schools and their communities to do what is best for them. National expects that the convention on the Rights of the Child to be a part of this.
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Do you have any further comments or policies on this theme you would like to highlight?An issue with ECE is the sheer level of bureaucracy and absurd prescriptive rules they have to follow. ACT propose instead that the focus should be on clear outcomes for safety and development of the children, for individual centres to show they meet through audited plans.
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Tick for Kids reflections / recommendationsWe want to see greater focus on quality ECE and a commitment from the incoming government to address longstanding concerns with existing high child to teacher ratios, maximum numbers permitted in group sizes and minimum space requirements. These three key areas as they currently stand are undermining the ability of ECE to deliver quality care to Tamariki. This is a critical issue as current benchmarks do not support infant and toddler physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing, nor do they protect Kaiako. We also seek greater funding and more timely access to learning and behaviour assessment programmes across the broad ECE and school sectors. Equitable and efficient access is critical to ensure that participation and learning opportunities are not limited. The introduction of Ka Ora Ka Ako - Healthy School Lunches Programme is an initiative that is addressing a major issue around food security in our schools. We are looking to the incoming government to make a sustained commitment to this programme as an investment in our children’s future and also extend it to include early childhood centres.
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Inclusion
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1. Will your party provide increased funding that community groups can access for events and initiatives that bring children and families together such as through the arts, culture, sports, leisure activities, volunteering or community action?NoYesNoSkip this questionYesYes
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We commit to increasing access to funding by community groups to implement events and kaupapa that brings the community together and creates a sense of belonging and identity.
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2. Will your party continue to support transport policy that reduces the number of cars we have on our roads and makes public transport free for people who need it most, such as children up to 18 years, young people under 25, adults that study fulltime, and those that hold a community services card?NoYesYesOtherYesYes
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Unsure what the public purpose is of fewer cars on the roads.We've introduced free public transport for under 13s and half price for under 25's. We are committed to making it more aordable,
easier and attractive for Kiwis to use public transport 		The National Party remains committed to expanding the availability of Public Transport options for a greater number of New Zealanders as well as ensuring public transport is reliable. We will retain subsidies to regional councils to operate public transport networks, however we will not continue with the recent fare subsidies that were announced in Budget 23. Public Transport subsidies for Super Gold Card holders will remain unaffected, ensuring their continued benefits. Regional Councils operating public transport services will continue to be supported to provide concessions for students and young individuals, consistent with public transport subsidies prior to the recent changes.
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3. Does your party support a connected New Zealand that would include total internet coverage across Aotearoa, including isolated rural communities, and funding more free connection and devices to achieve more equitable digital access?NoYesYesYesYesYes
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Labour is improving connectivity for rural and remote households and businesses, with 400 mobile towers have now been delivered
by the Rural Connectivity Group. 		The last National-led Government was at the forefront of digital innovation rolling out fibre and more rural connectivity but more needs to be done. We will continue this progress in Government.
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Tick for Kids reflections / recommendationsTick for Kids advocates for a connected Aotearoa, where community cohesiveness is encouraged through equitable access to events and initiatives that bring children and families together. The removal of barriers to participation, such as lack of transport and digital connectivity, are instrumental in ensuring children have opportunities to engage in their communities and develop their potential.
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Climate change
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1. Will your party commit to engaging with tamariki and rangatahi, and listening to their views on climate action and potential solutions, and reflect these in your climate policies?NoYesYesYesYesYes
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We will include the voices of all relevant stakeholders in our climate policy.
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2. Will your party commit to emergency policies that include children as a key stakeholder and enable them to participate alongside adults in emergency preparedness, response, recovery and prevention?Need more evidenceYesSkip this questionYesYesYes
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We will include all relevant stakeholders in our emergency policies.
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3. Will your party commit to allocating discretionary funds to iwi to prepare for and respond to climate change driven emergencies to mitigate the effects on tamariki Māori and their whānau?NoYes - OtherYesSkip this question
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We are taking a multi-faceted approach to address the challenges posed by sea-level rise and coastal erosion. Some of the measures we
have implemented or are planning to implement include: mapping the country’s coasts to identify areas that are at risk from sea-level rise
and erosion, and using this information to guide planning and decision-making developing and implementing strategies to help
communities adapt to the impacts of sea level rise and erosion, such as shoreline protection works, dune restoration, and managed retreat
funding research to better understand its impacts engaging with communities and stakeholders to raise awareness of the issues and to
encourage community-led solutions.
National supports devolution of services to community groups, including iwi, where possible. Te Pāti Māori will ensure the Crown works with whanau, hapu and iwi to establish climate change adaptation plans and establish a fund to support whanau, hapu and iwi with adaptation. This ensures our most climate affected communities are supported to prepare, and adapt to the weathering events experienced over the past.
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4. Will you commit to providing support for NZ’s agricultural industry to transition to sustainable industry practice, so that tamariki and rangatahi can live in and inherit a sustainable environment in Aotearoa?NoYesYesYesYesYes
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Labour is committed to a just transition to a low carbon future.The transition to a low carbon future needs to be a fair and equitable
transition that leaves no community, no family, and no person behind.
Labour been working to build a low carbon future for Aotearoa New Zealand, where everyone has a secure income that pays enough
for them to put a warm roof over their heads and food on the table.
The Emissions Reduction Plan has set out how we will transition to a low carbon future in a just, inclusive and equitable way.
That means transition planning with business, unions, iwi, and aected communities at the table; accessible education and training
opportunities; support for working families; and making sure we fully understand the distributional impacts of climate policies on
population groups.
There is no doubt that the transition to a low carbon future is an historic opportunity—the creation of new jobs and opportunities
for Kiwi businesses; lower household energy bills; a more sustainable agriculture sector; an enviable global brand; warmer; drier
homes; new technologies; cost savings for businesses; and greater resilience in the face of increasing uncertainty.
National has released a plan to lower agricultural emissions including introducing pricing by 2030 and giving farmers the technology, like genetic modification, they need to lower emissions. Te Pāti Māori will:
- Phase out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser on farms by 2025 and bring methane emissions from agriculture into the ETS to disincentivise intensive methane-emitting agriculture
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5. Will you commit to increasing marine protected areas to 30% of New Zealand's oceans by 2030, enabling replenished and healthy oceans for generations into the future?NoYes - YesYesYes
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New Zealand supports a global protection target of 30% by 2030, and is actively advocating to ensure this target delivers real conservation
outcomes and respects the rights of indigenous peoples. Marine protection needs to be purposefully designed and well managed to protect
the full range of nature’s diversity.		We are committed to this target. We have not announced our policy in this area. Te Pāti Māori will support our oceans and wildlife by:
- Ending new onshore oil and gas permits and withdraw existing onshore and offshore oil and gas permits within five years and aim to decommission sites by 2030
- Banning seabed mining permits nationwide and withdraw existing seabed mining permits
- Ensure Aotearoa plays a greater role in supporting Pasifika leaders on the world stage through aggressive diplomatic efforts
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Tick for Kids reflections / recommendationsTamariki and rangatahi in Aotearoa New Zealand are vocal and active climate campaigners demanding climate action from political leaders. Cyclone Gabrielle this year has shown that we are becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate hazards and children and young people are feeling the effects. Tamariki and rangatahi want to see tangible commitment and action to adapt, mitigate and prepare for the effects of climate change. We advocate for children and young people to be part of climate decision-making that affects them and for the government to ensure their rights under the newly released General Comment 26 from the Committee on the Rights of the Child is upheld, particularly as New Zealand marks 30 years since becoming a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We want to see policies from the government that will ensure young people are included in climate decision-making, mana whenua are resourced to undergo a just transition, a sustainable transition for agriculture is embedded and 30% of our oceans are protected.
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Youth Justice
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1. Will your party commit to raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14 years of age in the next term of government?NoYesSkip questionNoYesSkip this question
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Skip question
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2. Will your party commit to greater recognition of tikanga Māori and working closely with hapū and iwi to reduce numbers of mokopuna Māori entering the youth justice system, and providing effective rehabilitation to those that do?NoYesYesNeed more evidenceYesYes
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Yes. We will continue to make use of Te Pae Oranga Iwi Community Panels which are a way that Police and iwi/Māori partners deal
with crime and prevent reoending.
Te Pae Oranga panels are for people who have underlying issues and need help to get their lives back on track.		We will work with hapu and iwi providers to help reduce the number of Māori entering the youth justice system and will support programmes that deliver positive outcomes.