Maori Party – Policy at a Glance

Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples

Transport

Improved public transport with fewer emissions.
Shift focus from private car use to public transport, walking and cycling.
Improve urban design and broadband so people are less likely to travel.
Education
Primary and secondary schools are required to teach heritage studies including a history of the Pacific, in line with the aspirations of Pacific people.
All new citizens must complete a course in the history of Aotearoa and the Pacific.
Financial literacy becomes a core part of the curriculum.
Free ECE for four year-olds.
Playcentres and Kohanga Reo are funded under the 20 hour allocation of free childcare.
Reward schools for addressing underachievement and succeeding in innovation.
Increase Te Reo courses and increase Maori language teachers.
Start a three-year recruitment drive for Maori teachers.
Reduce tertiary fees and introduce a universal student allowance.
Student loan repayments only start when your income is 1.5 times the average wage.
Better public information on school performance.
Mana whenua representation on all public school and tertiary governance boards.

Law and Order

Economy (incl. tax)

First $25,000 of annual income earned would be tax free.
Food exempt from GST.
Increase minimum wage to $16 per hour.
Implement a financial transaction tax.
Reduce business tax by 5 percent
Support business development incentives
All public servants will have to be competent with Maori culture.
Review KiwiSaver to see whether it is fair.
Preserve land and restrict it from foreign ownership.
Invest in deep-sea fishing boats which would create 5,000 jobs.
Insert a Treaty clause into overseas investment legislation � giving iwi the right of refusal.
Focus on job creation is areas where there a skill shortages � health, infrastructure, finance and green energy.

Environment

GE �free New Zealand.
Ban 1080.
Retain and resource enviro-schools.
Develop iwi environmental monitoring/evaluation of rivers/lakes/sea/water supply.
Promote development of renewable energy resources to preserve oil, gas and coal.
Support organic food production.
Urgently progress aquaculture settlements.
Oppose the sale/lease of land for mining.

Social Welfare

Establish a Ministry of Families.
Eliminate child poverty by 2020
Look into reintroducing the universal child benefit.
Raise core benefits including superannuation and veteran�s pensions.
Solo parents/those on low incomes will be sponsored into workforce training.
Reinstate the training incentive allowance.
Lower the superannuation age of entitlement to 60 for groups with a low life-expectancy.

Asset Sales

Health

Improve access to health.
Free health services for under-sixes and over-sixties.
Ban tobacco.
Initiate wellness checks every six months.
Fund programmes to reduce high rates of diabetes and heart disease.
Implement annual oral health checks for low-income families.
Whanau-focused alcohol and drug addiction restoration services, including in prisons.
Encourage regular cervical and prostate cancer checks.
Ensure universal coverage of the vision and hearing screening programme.

Maori

Whanau Ora is the way forward where families determine what is in their best interests.
Incentives for Maori skills, qualifications and participation in the labour market.
Incentives to encourage the growth of privately and collectively-owned Maori businesses.
Full funding for the Waitangi Tribunal.
Promote chief-to-chief land negotiation.
Embed Maori electorate seats.