Mr Craig confirmed that his party's "pro-family" approach would support mothers to stay home with new babies for longer than the present 14 weeks of paid parental leave.
Mr Bruce surveyed all 121 MPs plus Mr Craig on five ideas to reduce child poverty, which were proposed in his 2011 documentary, Inside Child Poverty, and again by an expert group appointed by Children's Commissioner Russell Wills last year. He said he was heartened by the results.
"There is an awareness and a shifting in Parliament now towards these issues in a way that there was not two years ago," he said.
National's May Budget announced a trial warrant of fitness applying first to state houses "and then to other social housing providers".
"Policy work will be undertaken on applying the WoF more widely," it said.
That puts National, along with NZ First, in the "maybe" camp for a general warrant of fitness. The idea is aimed at reducing housing-related child illness and is endorsed by Labour, the Greens, the Maori Party, Mana, United Future and independent MP Brendan Horan. Mr Craig said he would support it if tenants and landlords could opt out by agreement in the first few years.
National said it will veto Labour MP Sue Moroney's bill to extend paid parental leave from 14 weeks to six months.
But Finance Minister Bill English told Mr Bruce: "When finances permit, the National-led Government may consider extending paid parental leave."
Labour MP Jacinda Ardern told Mr Bruce that Labour would extend paid leave to a year eventually.
The survey found less support for free lunches in low-decile schools. United Future MP Peter Dunne opposed them and Mr English said National supported only a charitable breakfast scheme run by Fonterra and Sanitarium.
Labour's policy, in a bill by former leader David Shearer, is to support charities to supply unspecified "food" to low-decile schools which want it and need it "using such indicators of need as the Ministry (of Education) specifies". On a generous reading, that may mean free lunches.
