Something’s up with housing — it’s a ‘crisis’ or a ‘challenge’, depending on who you ask. House prices and rents are rising faster than wages. There’s a shortage of social housing for those who can’t afford to rent or own their own place. And thousands are living rough, with many more living in temporary or insecure situations.
what the parties will do about
Housing Affordability
Home ownership rates have fallen to a historic low and many attribute this to a lack of affordable housing. But how did we get here and what do we do about it? Together the parties point to almost everything under the sun, from consenting rules to immigration to tax.
With rising house prices, renting is becoming the norm for many, and more than half of people over 15 live in rented accommodation. But many complain that renting is too expensive and insecure to be a desirable alternative to home ownership.
There are many kinds of social housing — state houses, council flats, and housing provided by community organisations. But there isn’t enough to accommodate demand and relieve unprecedented pressure on emergency accommodation.
How many people come to NZ, and why they come here, has become a hot-button issue this election. Some say immigration is putting too much pressure on housing and labour markets, and that NZ lacks the infrastructure to deal with population growth. And with a refugee crisis unfolding around the world, NZ’s refugee quota has also come under scrutiny.
what the parties will do about
Refugees
Since 1987 New Zealand has committed to accepting about 750 refugees each year. The Government plans to increase the quota to 1,000 in future, and accept 600 refugees from Syria on a one-off basis. But with climate change making parts of the Pacific uninhabitable, some say NZ should take more.
Net migration to NZ in the last year was a record 73,000 people. This number is affected by the rules governing how long people can stay in NZ, and how they can become permanent residents or citizens.
The third biggest chunk of government spending, after benefits and health, goes to education. From pre-school to uni, the principles on which the sector operates, and how its users pay for it, are in many ways at the core of NZ’s values.
what the parties will do about
Early Childhood Education
Early childhood education is broadly believed to be a good thing, improving the chances of educational success for children. The government provides some free early childhood education, but there’s debate about whether this is enough.
Post-secondary study, including at uni, used to be a lot cheaper, but with more and more people taking part, successive governments have said students should pay a greater proportion of the cost, often by taking out a loan from the state.
Learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom. The apprenticeship model may seem to hark from an older time, but training in the workplace never disappeared, and some argue that the approach needs fresh thinking.
Have you paid your donation? Primary and secondary schools are free in New Zealand — strictly speaking. But that doesn’t tell you much about how well resourced different schools are, and whether everyone’s getting a good education.
Access to the outdoors is often thought of as central to the Kiwi way of life and a critical tourist drawcard. But some say we’re not doing enough to protect these assets. Much debate centres on the state of waterways, and what to do in the face of of climate change.
what the parties will do about
Water
The quality and ownership of NZ’s freshwater has become a big issue. Across the board the political parties say we need to do a better job at keeping our rivers and lakes clean. But plans to fix it vary. There is debate, too, about ownership of water, and whether companies, including those based overseas, should pay to use or export it.
Around a third of NZ is publicly owned and protected, most of it by the Department of Conservation. Its job is to protect and preserve nature and wildlife while ensuring New Zealanders can access and enjoy it. Some have argued that they need more resources to protect the more than 4,000 endangered animals and plants in NZ.
In 2015 NZ joined most other countries in committing to limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius this century — the target scientists say is needed to avoid catastrophic climate change. Current Government policy is to reduce NZ’s greenhouse gas emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, but some say that we need to be bolder.
The amount of money in your pocket is not just the result of how much you get paid, but how much the government decides to tax you or support you through income support, such as benefits, Working for Families payments and superannuation. These policies affect how much money you get. And how much everyone else does, too.
what the parties will do about
Superannuation
Since 1898, NZ has provided some kind of payment to older people, but the cost has increased with an ageing population. In 2001, the Super Fund was set up to save for superannuation in the future, but government payments into the fund have been suspended since 2009.
Income is typically taxed on a progressive scale, so the more you earn the greater proportion you pay in tax. A range of things can affect this equation, including Working For Families, which provides payments to some people with children.
The government pays benefits for disability, unemployment, single parents and other groups whose incomes aren’t enough on their own. This election the question of the adequacy of benefits, and the fairness of the conditions attached to them, has come to the fore for the first time in a while.
While your boss may decide how much you get paid, the government sets the rules by setting the minimum wage, working conditions and how much leave you’re entitled to. Another issue is gender pay equity. Following a large settlement with care and disability workers, the government has started reforms which some say will put an end to future gender pay equity settlements.
Health problems hit us everywhere from the head to the heart to the teeth, and that means a range of services. In the public health system, most services are free or subsidised. Amid advances in technology and increasing life expectancy, however, pressure on the health dollar is high.
what the parties will do about
Mental Health
NZ’s suicide rate is among the highest in the world, especially among young people. While nearly half of New Zealanders will experience mental illness or distress at some point in their lives, many go without services or treatment. There are growing calls for urgent action of one kind or another.
Drinking causes a lot of illness, injury, violence and other harms. But many NZers like to drink or use recreational drugs. Internationally, the tide has been turning on cannabis prohibition, and some parties want change here too.
Some think of healthcare as being free in NZ, and it is, at least compared to countries like the US. But users do pay a contribution to, for example, doctors fees and prescriptions, while specialist treatment isn’t always free. What you can get also depends a lot on where you live — increasingly, some services are only available in the main centres.
Drinking, smoking and drug-use cause a lot of health problems and expense for the taxpayer, and have long been in the government’s sights. And now there’s obesity too.
A vibrant and healthy society depends on a strong economy. NZ’s economy has fared comparatively well over the last decade and continues to grow. But some say the benefits of this prosperity aren’t being shared fairly, arguing, for example, that the regions or those most disadvantaged are missing out.
what the parties will do about
Regional Development
More and more New Zealanders are living in cities, in part because people are leaving the regions. At the same time, tourism is booming and regions face the challenges of economic transition.
New Zealand is renowned as one of the easiest places in the world to do business — you can set up a company in just a couple of hours. And mostly the parties agree more business is good business. But they differ on which kinds of business, and what the government should do to support it.
The proverbial land of milk and honey, New Zealand’s exports account for nearly a third of the economy. A fifth of all exports are dairy products of one kind or another. But intensive agriculture has its environmental costs, and the government spends a significant amount of money supporting the industry.
The main way the government gets money is through tax. Less tax tends to mean less government spending on services. More tax, more government spending on services.
How the government manages its books can affect how much it can spend and borrow. Surplus is the magic word. It means the government has taken in more money than it has spent, and has some left over. But parties disagree about how much a government should prioritise achieving a surplus, especially if this means underfunding key services.
The oceans are both a source of income and recreation for NZ. But should we be taking better care of this resource? And whose rights to go fishing should be prioritised?
New technology is fast changing everything from the way we communicate to the way we get around. But who should take the lead in developing new technologies? And what should be done to ensure the next generation has the knowledge and skills it needs to keep up?
