Social Development Policies

New Zealand is facing a cost of living crisis. New Zealand was voted the second worst place to live in, mainly due to the high cost of living (InterNations, 2022). We will provide monthly aid for people living in poverty, especially to families with children. Tax relief such as tax reduction and postponing deadlines for filing will be provided to lift the burden off of those struggling with taxes. Student allowance will be increased and eligibility will be expanded to aid students .

One of the major issues that plagues New Zealand is the high cost for dwellings. Of all the OECD countries, New Zealand has the highest disposable-income-to-housing-cost ratio among low income households (OECD, 2021). Some blame the increase in population and cost of building materials for the ever rising housing costs, however it is quite likely that land prices are the real culprit (Assessment of the Housing System, 2022). For this reason, not only are we incentivising the construction of new houses, but will also make the supply of urban land more flexible and change tax systems. This will include modification of the resource management and planning system to increase the supply of urban lands, and introduction of capital gains tax (which is long overdue).

It is hard to understate the importance of Treaty of Waitangi as the founding document of our country. It is no secret that the treaty was written and translated somewhat poorly, leading to misunderstandings among Maori and their exploitation. In 1975 the Treaty of Waitangi Act was passed which established Waitangi Tribunal, providing legal platforms for Maori to voice their concern over breach of the treaty (Waitangi tribunal website, 2017). To help settle the historical injustices we will increase the support to the Waitangi Tribunal including providing funding, such that investigations can be done timely and fairly. 

Mental health issue is something many of us struggle with. In 2021 more than 28% of people reported having poor mental health, which is almost 6% increase from 2018 (General Social Survey, 2021). In these trying times the need for good and affordable mental health service is higher than ever. That is why we are funding and developing existing mental health institutions, as well as ensuring that the cost of mental health services and counselings are low enough for people to access reliably. Our change in the approach has to change as well. People has utilised mental health services report that current system only sees mental health patients as collection of labels (depression, schizophrenia etc.) which can be addressed through medication (He Ara Oranga report, 2018). This approach must be replaced with more holistic approach that considers the whole person, utilise more than just medication and explore the root issue. Otter party promise to change the current mental health system so people will get more than just a band-aid solution.

Dealing with mental health issues involves not only providing help where needed, it is also about solving the underlying causes. Factors such as poor housing, financial difficulties, discrimination and social injustices makes it difficult to foster healthy happy mind (General Social Survey, 2021; Mental Health Foundation). Other policies introduced in this page tackle these underlying causes, which demonstrates the interconnectivity of social development  policies.