Our Sector Policy Overview - NZ Council of Christian Social Services

As we await the impact of the Special Votes following the October 14’s General Election, dive deeper into the potential coalition partners’ policies which relate to our sector (health, community and social services).

How to use these overview tables:

1) Scroll down or click on one of the blue subheadings below to read about specific policies in relation to our sector, grouped by political party.

This information is a short summary of what the policy says. If you would like further information, move to step 2.

2) Where available, we have linked to further information from the party for each policy. CLICK on the sentence in blue to open a new page and read the specific party policy or announcement in depth.

Ready to get started?

You can either scroll down to see all overview tables, or use the shortcuts in blue below to jump to a specific party’s policy overview in relation to our sector

National
Act
New Zealand First

National Party Our Sector Policy Overview

Policy Area	Main Points
Education	Disestablish Te Pūkenga and Workforce Development Councils Require an hour of maths and two hours of reading and writing a day for Years 1-8 Rewrite and make resources for a new curriculum Require twice yearly assessments of reading, writing and maths from Year 3 to 8 Introduce exit exam for primary and intermediate teaching graduates Require current teachers to undertake professional development
Health	Mental Health Innovation Fund of $20 Million Focus on Technology to support Mental Health service delivery Increase training of Doctors and open new medical school at Waikato University Widen immigration settings for nurses and midwives Allow migrants to bring their family while they complete their first assessments / look for a job Offer relocation grants of $10,000 to 1,000 migrant nurses and midwives Incentives for study of nursing and midwifery Pay first 5 years of student loan fees if working as a nurse or midwife in New Zealand the whole time Increase funding for Cancer treatments Increase breast cancer screening age limit from 69 to 74 Close the Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority and instead have a unit inside the Ministry of Health
Housing	Putting back interest deductibility on residential rentals Allowing sales of housing within two years to not pay tax on any profit on sale / lowering the brightline test to 2 years Build to rent models supported Changing the Resource Management Act to free up land
Rights	Treaty of Waitangi is a partnership
Social Welfare	Social investment model (NZCCSS definition here) Job coaches, additional supports and sanctions and incentives for young people not in education or employment Bootcamps for 10-18 year olds Contract not-for-profit community providers to help young people find work Co-invest with NGOs to deliver programmes that work Require NGOs to measure return on investment Increase Superannuation Rate each year Keep Winter Energy payment
Tax	Increase Working for Families Tax Credits Increase Independent Earner Tax Credit Move tax bands Payments directly to families to cover under-5s childcare costs (FamilyBoost) Make paid parental leave more flexible Remove Auckland Regional Fuel Tax End subsidies for public transport

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Act Party Our Sector Policy Overview

Policy Area.	Main Points
Education	State schools able to become Partnership schools
Health	Make greater use of forecasting for planning of workforce needs Review red tape in health workforce Increase GP funding by 13% Increase use of Physician Assistants Close Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority Support private Enrolled Nursing training Establish a Mental Health and Addictions Agency
Housing	Community and social housing not specifically mentioned
Rights	Establish an independent monitoring system for children in care Define what the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi are in law and through a referendum Reverse co-governance models Bring back 90 day trials Remove Fair Pay Agreements Remove Hate Speech Laws Remove section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act Reverse priority based on race in the health and social system
Social Welfare	Sole parent benefit increases are based on CPI Sole parents who have additional children while receiving a benefit will receive support in the form of Electronic Income Management Continue Orphans / unsupported child benefit Divide Oranga Tamariki social worker duties into a mentor and a child protection officer Transfer youth justice functions from Oranga Tamariki to Corrections Increase public accountability of the Oranga Tamariki Chief Executive Reduce the power of Oranga Tamariki head office and give it to communities Raise superannuation to 67 and change how increases are worked out Winter energy payment only for those with community service cards or receiving benefits
Tax	Tax charitable organisations Leave KiwiSaver withdrawals at 65 even if superannuation age goes up Stop adding to the Super Fund

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New Zealand First Our Sector Policy Overview

Policy Area.	Main Points
Education	Lower repayment rates on student loan for certain workforces Apprenticeship Boost continues Fund Targeted Trade and Apprenticeship Fund again
Health	Replace Pharmac GP-Waitlist Reduction Fund Fast-track NZMC registered doctors into General Practice Doctors are priority for immigration Set-up digital Health Clinics using Nurse Practictioners and tech Review Primary Care funding Fund St John (to 95%), Plunket and Gumboot Friday Free dental care to 18-25 year olds, Community Services Card holders and GoldCard holders
Housing	Community and social housing not specifically mentioned
Rights	Make “social impact” part of the economic cost and benefit analysis in policy advice
Social Welfare	JobSeeker/WorkReady benefits for two years of a persons life only
Tax	Frist $14,000 tax free Interest deductible for residental rental property businesses Select Committee Inquiry for GST on fresh foods

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