Hawke's Bay Today asked all three candidates for the Ikaroa-Rawhiti electorate what they would personally do about social issues in the region. Here are their answers.
Green Party candidate Dr Elizabeth Kerekere
1. The destructive impact of P.
The Greens believe that no one in New Zealand, whether they are working or not, should be living in poverty. Many of the issues to do with housing, health, mental health, drug abuse and crime can be linked to poverty. Our plan to end poverty will make a real difference to thousands of people's lives and ensure that all families in New Zealand can afford to put food on the table, keep a roof over their head and pay their power bill.
2. Providing permanent, well-paying jobs.
The impact of 'P' on our whānau and communities is disastrous. In government, the Greens will direct more funding towards drug education and rehabilitation - we cannot arrest our way out of this issue. These are health and mental health issues; sectors which have seen severe cuts under National by millions and millions of dollars. Funding for drug addiction treatment has been negligent for a long time, and National's latest announcement of $10 million a year will barely cover the $150 million that the NZ Drug Foundation estimates we need. Paula Bennett's comment that some people have fewer human rights than others just shows how little National cares about doing what it really takes to reduce violence and drug addiction. Their proposed sanctions against offenders will just force more people into poverty.
3. Providing affordable housing.
The Greens believe that all New Zealanders deserve an affordable and warm home, whether they are renting or owning. It is a basic human right to have somewhere to live but National's so-called economic success ignores the rate of homelessness that is rising as high as our sea levels will be if nothing is done to address it. Thousands of people are living in cars and relying on food banks to have enough to eat. People with jobs cannot afford to rent and even two-income families cannot afford to buy. The Greens will stop the sale of state houses, especially to overseas investors, and increase the state housing stock. We will build more affordable and energy-efficient houses. We will reduce the cost of building a home and tackle speculation in the property market. Most importantly, the Greens will work with other parties to create a national strategy to end homelessness in this country.
4. Homelessness.
To supports our workers, the Greens will increase the minimum wage and lower the bottom tax rate. More excitingly, we plan to kick-start the green economy and create thousands of new jobs including in sunny Hawke's Bay. Responding to the challenge of climate change is an opportunity to shift New Zealand's economy on to a cleaner path. The Green Infrastructure Fund will help fund transformative projects that move New Zealand towards a carbon-neutral economy by 2050. In our first term of government, the Greens will establish a government-owned, independent, for-profit Green Infrastructure Fund with a social and environmental purpose, to act as a magnet attracting private finance to transformational low-carbon, climate-resilient projects. The Fund will kick-start new clean infrastructure projects like solar and wind-power installations, energy-efficient buildings, biofuels, and other clean technologies.