Maori Party - Response to policy request Contributing to an Election 2008 feature in Kiwi Parent

Parenting Environment - Taking into account housing affordability, the rising cost of food and high rates of inflation, what is your parties view on creating the right environment where mothers and fathers can parent effectively?

What is very clear is that poverty plays a central role in whanau wellbeing. One of the three foundational pillars of the Maori Party is that of whanau, and accordingly, we support the need for better financial support of families through an increased minimum wage ($15 per hour) and increased incomes for benefit dependent families through raising real benefit levels and extending Working for Families to beneficiary parents (i.e. reinstatement of the family tax credit to all families). Alongside this, there needs to be additional resourcing to further develop whanau restoration programmes (such as Project Mauriora), and ‘whole of whanau’ initiatives.

Action Plan for Women - What are your views on the Action Plan for Women and how does your party value and respect women’s ambitions and aspirations not only in the workforce?

The Maori Party supports the Action Plan for Women, and at the same time, has concerns with some aspects of it. Ongoing consultation is critical if such plans are to be beneficial to the people concerned, and not just meet government objectives. The Action Plan for Women could also be placed more firmly in a whanau context – enabling important social and cultural impacts and outcomes to be evaluated and monitored alongside the predominant workforce-economic focus.

Family Violence - What will your party do to ensure facilities and resources are available for families to help those at risk free themselves from violence?

There is an urgent need for a greater investment by government in whanau restoration programmes which address violence in a collective context, and ‘whole of whanau’ initiatives to ensure the active participation and engagement of all whanau members. For the Maori Party, what is also critical for whanau wellbeing, is the need for initiatives to create drug and alcohol free homes. Violence in homes, however, cannot be properly addressed unless the violence in our communities and society at large is also addressed, including that of racism. The Maori Party supports the elimination of institutional racism, and the development of a cultural audit framework to ensure that government systems responding to whanau do so in culturally safe ways.

Families Commission - What value do you place on the role of the Families Commission in New Zealand? What is your party’s intentions towards the Families Commission, do you intend to keep it, disband it or change its current form?

The Maori Party is supportive of the concept of a Families Commission – but would ideally see it take a different form. Rather than an advocacy role at the level of government, the Maori Party would promote an entity that had both a strong whanau development focus at the community level, and had the authority to direct and shape government policy and set minimum standards.

Education - What priority do you place on early childhood education versus the role of the parent in raising their child and what policies does your party have to allow parents sufficient time with their children for attachment and connection to occur?

For the Maori Party, education is located in a whanau context – where parents with children in early childhood education are to be encouraged to be as involved as possible, and where the whanau is acknowledged by educators as the focus and the fulcrum of the child’s learning and development. While this whanau-centred model is the basis for Kohanga Reo and Puna Reo, many aspects could usefully be employed across the early childhood education sector.

Learning Difficulties - In 2007 the spectrum of dyslexic thinking was recognised. What investment will your party make in supporting and resourcing children who learn differently?

The Maori Party feels strongly that all New Zealand children have an acceptable level of literacy and numeracy, and that support and resources be committed to achieve this goal. More than this, all New Zealand children should be enabled to be multi-lingual, with an emphasis on te reo Maori.

Breastfeeding - How does your party plan to encourage and better support breastfeeding women?

Official data shows that breastfeeding rates have not increased in New Zealand for the last 10 years, and that breastfeeding rates from birth through to six months need to be increased to bring about the known health benefits to infants and babies. The Maori Party supports the points raised in Breastfeeding: A Guide to Action, and supports the development of a comprehensive National Strategic Plan of Action for Breastfeeding which will include improved ante and post natal education and care, co-ordinated promotion and advocacy, and working closely with Maori and Pacific communities to ensure increased participation from both.

Health - Dollars invested in early intervention and primary health care are marked to deliver outcomes. What policies does your party have to ensure a high standard of health care is available for all New Zealand families?

The Maori Party advocates for a free, high quality primary health care system and free medical consultations for all under 6 year olds and those over 65 years. We also promote the need for greater investment in specific areas such as home care for the elderly, respite care for whanau carers, and to reduce surgical waiting lists. The Maori Party is particularly concerned that life expectancy data continually shows that Maori die on average 10 years earlier than non-Maori. In response, the Maori Party advocates for the development of a Maori Public Health Strategy, a Maori Health Workforce Commission and a National Committee to ensure independent advice is provided to the Minister.

Maternity care - Many parts of New Zealand struggle to cope with inadequate birthing facilities, crowded delivery suites, too few midwives and stretched neonatal facilities. How do you plan to address this shortage?

The Maori Party plans to enact a long term, strategic approach to address the midwifery shortage, analyse crisis points in maternity services and neonatal care and invest appropriately to ensure future sustainable whanau wellbeing.

Well Child Services - Parents Centres believes the Well Child starts with Well Parents. What is your party’s view on this philosophy and what thinking do you have around extending delivery of Well Child services to encompass the Well Parent pre birth and conception?

The Maori Party’s focus for children and parents is a whanau-centred one. It is our belief that it takes a whole and healthy whanau to keep its members safe and well. From this perspective, we support the idea of extending Well Child services to include parents.