Category: New Zealand Labour Party

The Government is risking the wellbeing of vulnerable children across Aotearoa who benefit from services like counselling, intensive family support, parent programmes and early intervention, as they claw back funding.

“Children in care have often experienced significant trauma and chaos in their lives. Taking away activities and support that help them to heal is cruel and heartless,” Labour’s children spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime said.

“In the May Budget, National cut $120 million in funding for frontline providers. These are programmes that offer therapy and companionship for children – many who’ve suffered from family harm, neglect and trauma.

“These providers do incredible and highly sensitive work with tamariki, helping them navigate distressing experiences, while keeping them out of harm’s way.

“These cuts come as Oranga Tamariki has said there already isn’t enough money to meet the needs they’re seeing every day.

“ACT’s Karen Chhour has chosen to go ahead with these reckless cuts, despite the detrimental effect on the frontline.

“I am hearing from many in the sector who are anxious about whether they can continue to meet the needs of kids in their community.

“Karen Chhour must stand up for these children and whānau who rely on these services to get through the week.

“I truly worry about the harmful consequences to come if the Government continues to ignore this need,” Willow-Jean Prime said.

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The Government has not committed to doing any additional operations in a newly opened surgical hospital on the North Shore of Auckland.

“Labour built the Tōtara Haumaru facility to do an additional 15,000 procedures a year, but today the Government is opening it without a plan to do any new operations. It will mostly take staff from other postings and be doing surgeries that were already planned to go ahead in other hospitals,” said Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall.

“Minister of Health Shane Reti was desperate to turn the lights on following mounting pressure over this vital facility sitting empty, so Health New Zealand have moved surgeries from existing hospitals to the new hospital, to give the appearance that it is up and running.

“Budget 24 did not increase funding in real terms meaning staff numbers are restricted. That’s why Health New Zealand has transferred most of the staff from other hospitals.

“Health New Zealand’s hiring freeze began in April, and it has been widely reported in media that clinical positions nationwide are not being filled. Minister Reti needs to end the hiring freeze and enable full recruitment so that the facility can provide the additional 15,000 procedures as it was designed.

“If Minister Reti was serious about making sure New Zealanders get the healthcare they need, he would allow hospitals to hire the staff they need. After all, he campaigned on there being a workforce crisis.

“The National Government has no plan for our health workforce, and if today is anything to go by, I am very worried for the state of our health system. This government is taking New Zealand backwards,” said Ayesha Verrall.

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Celebrating Matariki as a public holiday over the past two years has made sure everyone gets to spend some extra time with friends and family, as well as the chance to learn more about what makes this time of year meaningful.

Named after the group of stars that rises in mid-winter, Matariki marks the start of the Māori New Year, and is a time to both reflect and plan for the coming year.

This year’s theme is Matariki heri kai: The feast of Matariki. Matariki stars each relate to our food sources: gardens (Tupuānuku), forests (Tupuārangi), fresh water (Waitī), and

the ocean (Waitā). Māori looked to the appearance of Matariki in the sky to determine how the kai harvest would go. The tradition exists in different forms across the world, but there are many elements unique to New Zealand.

Each year we’ve been seeing an increase in the number of people coming together to celebrate Matariki, with events being held around the motū. You can also watch a national live broadcast here. Events acknowledge three main principles:

Matariki Hunga Nui | Remembrance

• Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki.

Matariki Ahunga Nui | Celebrating the Present

• Gathering together to give thanks for what we have.

Matariki Manako Nui | Looking to the Future

• Looking forward to the promise of a new year

Wherever you are, we hope you and your whānau have the chance to spend some time together, relax and enjoy the holiday.

Mānawatia a Matariki.

Click here to take our Matariki quiz.

Lady Glen Rowling, wife of the late Prime Minister Bill Rowling, will be remembered as loyal, kind, clever and supportive.

“Lady Glen Rowling will be sorely missed by her family, community and by the Labour Party,” Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said.

“She was a solid and unwavering support to former Prime Minister Bill Rowling during a tough period both personally and in politics. She continued to contribute to the Labour movement and her community well after his death.

“Lady Glen gave a lifetime of service. She was a volunteer, giver of advice, caterer – whatever she needed to be. She lent her mana and support to Labour and to her community for a long time,” Chris Hipkins said.

“Bill Rowling and Lady Glen lived in Westport for a number of years, in the Buller electorate which was later split into West Coast and Tasman. They were hugely supportive,” Damien O’Connor said.

“Their son was involved in young farmers with my family. Lady Glen stood out to me as somebody who was highly respected, both as wife to Bill Rowling but also in her own right.”

Lady Glen was a parishioner at Christ Church Cathedral after moving to Nelson, where her funeral service will be held.

“I knew Lady Glen on a personal level through her commitment to the church, the Nelson community and the local Labour Party. She was incredibly bright, and a legendary quiz master who would always include obscure and creative political questions that would frustrate the room, much to her glee,” Nelson MP Rachel Boyack said.

“The Fifeshire Foundation, which supports people who are struggling in Nelson Tasman, was started by Bill Rowling and Lady Glen continued this support after his death. The Foundation helps with things like school uniforms, dental treatment, and firewood.

“In her name, the family have asked that instead of flowers, people send money to a charity of their choice. The Rowling name will live on through the good that she did,” Rachel Boyack said.

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The Government needs to be transparent about the cuts they are making to hospital infrastructure, so that cities are clear on the health resources they will have into the future.

As at September 2023, the Infrastructure and Investment Group (IIG) within Health New Zealand was responsible for over 110 health infrastructure projects worth a total of $7.7 billion. These projects are in various phases of completion and included the new Dunedin Hospital. Large hospital rebuilds were planned for Nelson and Whangarei.

“The Government set aside a mere $103 million in the budget to cover all capital cost pressures across multiple projects – costs that arise due to inflation. This does not look like a Government committed to completing an adequate Dunedin Hospital on time, let alone hospitals in other regions,” said Labour associate health spokesperson Tracey McLellan.

“In Dunedin, which was the largest capital project underway in New Zealand, National promised additional theatres, and hospital space, but these have not been funded. He has broken his promise.

“In last week’s scrutiny hearings, Minister Reti was unable to answer for the $1.1 billion for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, which would have been allocated over six-phases. In fact, there was no spend for Nelson Hospital in this Budget, and nothing set aside for 2025 or 2026 either.

“These projects were planned under Labour to meet clinical expectations – downsizing or shedding parts of the builds is simply not good enough – the buildings won’t be fit into the future.

“And on Whangarei Hospital, Minister Reti is silent. By his own admission, the upgrade is desperately needed, and was being scoped under Labour, but Minister Reti has failed to name an ongoing funding source for Whangarei or Nelson hospitals.

“The Government is building a case to land Labour with the blame for the projects they themselves are reducing. New Zealand deserves better than this backwards government, who will give billions to landlords in tax breaks but won’t build a hospital to serve taxpayers.

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The National Government is keeping the public in the dark about projects that have applied for approval under the Fast Track Approvals Bill.

“The Government will not front up on what the proposed projects are, despite the applications closing nearly two months ago,” said Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking.

“Ministers should be upfront about the projects. They say the Fast Track Approvals Bill will be used to get renewable energy projects off the ground, but how can we know if they don’t release the list?

“These projects must go to select committee for scrutiny, rather than just being plonked into the Bill with no way for the public to have their say.

“The public need to know what the Fast Track Approvals Bill will be used for and what the Government is signing New Zealand up to.

“I am concerned that projects that have previously been declined, like Te Kuha mine, could be approved under this piece of legislation without any regard for the native species it could affect. New Zealanders need to know if this is the case as under the fast track process, they won’t have a chance to voice their concerns.

“The National Government is making a choice to prioritise short term, potentially environmentally damaging projects like coal mines, without any input from the communities they will affect long term,” said Rachel Brooking.

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Our students deserve access to fresh, healthy food to fuel their busy school days and lives. That’s why Labour introduced the Ka Ora, Ka Ako healthy school lunch programme. Teachers, parents, principals and health experts all saw the benefits of it.

Disappointingly, it’s been revealed that the National Government knew its changes to the school lunch programme would risk achievement, attendance, nutrition and wellbeing of New Zealand children, as well as having wider impacts on reducing child poverty.

But they went ahead and made the changes anyway.

In March, the Government considered a Cabinet Paper which included advice from multiple agencies, including strong opposition to cutting back the programme:

• The Ministry of Health said “…the current proposal does not appear to be grounded in public health evidence and are concerned it will have a significant negative impact on communities where Ka Ora, Ka Ako is having the greatest impact.”
• Te Puni Kokiri said “risks to learner achievement should the nutritional value of food delivered to secondary learners reduce”.
• The Ministry of Education also made clear what we already knew, that $3 a day is not sufficient to feed secondary kids properly. They said the budget constraint “could lead to supplied food that is insufficient or unsuitable”.

The changes the Government has made will see students getting a snack rather than a healthy meal. Concerns have also been raised about communities losing local jobs, some of which are done by parents. With unemployment set to rise, this could be a double whammy for some household budgets during a cost-of-living crisis.

What can you do about it?

Email Education Minister Erica Stanford and Associate Education Minister David Seymour and let them know why you want to see the programme fully funded in all secondary schools.

You can use the form below to email Erica Stanford and David Seymour. In your email, share your story about how the programme has impacted your community or whānau. Encourage your friends and family to add their voices too. 

The Government must show it values students, their education, and their futures.

Read more: Your top concerns about National’s Budget

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Labour will reinstate a ban on live exports of cattle by sea when re-elected.

“Today we are making it clear to the sector that live exports are on shaky ground,” Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said.

“National said during the campaign it would only bring back live exports if stock were shipped on custom-built vessels, which they claimed would be better for the animals and safer for the crew. But there is no money for that in Budget 2024 and it’s not in the Coalition Agreement with ACT.

“This means they will be signing our country back up to the practice that saw a ship capsize, killing 6000 New Zealand cattle and 41 crew in the Pacific Ocean in 2020.

“The world is changing. Other countries like the UK and Australia have followed New Zealand’s lead and moved to ban live exports. Reinstating this practice will take New Zealand backwards.

“Today a petition of nearly 50,000 signatures from people against the reinstatement of live cattle exports was handed over at Parliament. A recent SPCA survey found 61 percent of New Zealanders do not support the reinstatement of live exports.

“Most New Zealanders do not want this. The Government must listen and put a stop to bringing back live exports,” Rachel Boyack said.

“Before Labour banned the practice, live exports by sea represented just 0.32 percent of primary sector export revenue. We have to protect New Zealand livestock and the international reputation of our annual $55 billion primary export industry,” Labour trade spokesperson Damien O’Connor said.

“Much of our international trade relies on us maintaining good animal welfare standards. For example, the UK and EU Free Trade Agreements include animal welfare provisions. Restarting live exports could put these agreements and the huge benefit they bring to New Zealand at risk,” Damien O’Connor said.

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“Today’s announcement is simply a repeat of the Government rejecting decades of evidence and expert advice, as they forcibly try to turn marketing slogans into policy,” said children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime.

“Expert advice has already suggested that these boot camps may cause further harm for children who have experienced abuse or suffered deep trauma – all of which are common among youth offenders.

“Forcing these kinds of children into boot camps is cruel and takes our youth rehabilitative system backwards.

“This comes as the Government looks to cull 447 jobs at Oranga Tamariki, which includes more than a dozen youth justice jobs across the organisation.

“To spend more than $5 million on a pilot for 10 kids, when we’re in dire need of more youth-aid officers and social workers, is simply another example of the Government making the wrong choices yet again.

“While I’m glad they’ve repurposed Labour’s model around wraparound support for youth offenders introduced last year – slapping boot camps onto it serves no one but the Government’s ‘look tough, sound tough’ brand.

“We need common-sense, evidence-based wraparound programmes that we know work. I worry the Government is losing sight of who’s being put at risk, when it comes to their baseless experiments, ” said Willow-Jean Prime.

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