Families

Families are the building blocks of our community. Our success as a society will be largely determined by the success of our families. For me it is not the role of the government to tell you what kind of family you are or are not allowed to have. But I do believe that government can play an important role in supporting and strengthening families.

I support policies that enable families to help themselves. Labour has taken a number of key steps in government to help families, notably school zoning ensures access to your local school, something that was fast slipping away under National. I also believe that income related rents on state houses allow people to settle in one place rather than constantly seeking cheaper rents, and this has a huge impact on children’s schooling as well as relieving the financial pressures that often affect the stability of the family unit.

As well as this, the implementation of paid parental leave has allowed more than 45,000 working parents to spend quality time with their new born children, and this had been extended to gradually encompass the self employed, as well as having been increased to 14 weeks.

The Labour government is also working on strategies to encourage home ownership amongst lower income earners. In times of record house prices, we aim to help give these families the security of a solid asset base.

Most recently of course the “Working for Families” package has specifically targeted working families and aims to ensure that there is a real incentive to move from welfare and into work. I believe children growing up with role models who are in employment have a better chance of succeeding in life and I will do all I can to continue to encourage the move from welfare to work. As I have said in a number of forums the answer to this problem is not beneficiary bashing and it is most particularly not bashing the children of beneficiaries.

Disclaimer

The Labour party has a rigorous policy process whereby we debate ideas and establish the eventual party manifesto. It is the party manifesto that represents the official party policy. While unsurprisingly as a participant in this process I support the manifesto, on this site I have endeavoured to give my own personal views and thoughts so you will know where I stand on issues. In the majority of cases these will be in line with party policy, if however you want official Labour party policy please visit http://www.labour.org.nz