Will education and public safety in New Zealand improve over the next three years? A guide to party policies affecting the Chinese community

On 4 October, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced that the Official Cash Rate (OCR) would remain at 5.5%

On 4 October, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced that the Official Cash Rate (OCR) would remain at 5.5%. The Reserve Bank has not strongly signalled that further rate rises may be needed, instead saying rates “may need to remain at a restrictive level for a more sustained period”.

New Zealand's 2023 general election has entered the final stretch before voting. YIJU reminds everyone to cast their vote, whichever party they support! This is how participation by the Chinese community can be reflected in the statistics and encourage all parties to give greater weight to its views.

So, which party's policies and principles best align with your interests and expectations? In this article, YIJU provides an overview of the parties' proposals on everyday issues closely affecting the Chinese community.

Today we cover education, public safety and other issues of particular concern to the Chinese community. We have already compiled the policies on taxation, livelihoods and housing: Focus on New Zealand's 2023 general election! Which party policies will affect the Chinese community's future? (Click to read)

Education

Labour Party policies at a glance:

Make the apprenticeship training programme permanent; provide 20 hours of free early childhood education for children aged 2 and over;
Make financial literacy a compulsory secondary school subject;
Ensure reading, writing and mathematics teaching follows a compulsory common practice model, so students follow a consistent curriculum whichever school they attend;
Extend the sugary drinks ban to secondary schools.

National Party policies at a glance:

Require primary and intermediate schools to teach an average of one hour each of reading, writing and mathematics every day;
Rewrite the primary and intermediate school curriculum;
Require standardised testing twice a year for Years 3 to 8, and introduce graduation exams in reading, writing, mathematics and science for teaching students;
Develop an online resource bank for lesson planning;
Abolish teacher registration fees;
Commit to having 80% of Year 8 students at or above curriculum expectations by 2030, and placing New Zealand among the top ten countries in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) by 2033 (National's foundational education policy: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/nationalparty/pages/17861/attachments/original/1684306137/Teaching_the_Basics_Brilliantly_Final.pdf?1684306137）；
Ban students from using mobile phones at school (National's school mobile phone ban policy: https://www.national.org.nz/cell_phone_use_at_school）；
Require structured literacy in all primary schools to improve reading, check phonics skills from Year Two onwards, and provide interventions for students needing more support (National's commitment to expanding structured literacy: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/nationalparty/pages/18373/attachments/original/1694140637/Literacy_Guarantee.pdf?1694140637）；
Expand work rights for international students and their partners; increase international students' permitted working hours to 24 per week; introduce a priority processing fee for student visas; diversify the countries international students come from (National's international education promotion plan: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/nationalparty/pages/18403/attachments/original/1695241117/Reviving_International_Education.pdf?1695241117）；
Continue funding the Healthy School Lunches programme under current settings, while making it more efficient;
Drop the earlier proposal to scrap fees-free tertiary education.

ACT Party policies at a glance:

Introduce compulsory attendance reporting nationwide, using a traffic light system to assess absences;
Fund truancy prevention services according to each school's Equity Index;
Fine the parents of truant students (ACT's truancy policy: https://www.act.org.nz/truancy）；
Establish an annual NZ$250,000,000 teaching excellence reward fund; re-establish partnership schools;
Establish an individual tertiary education fund for every child; halve the Ministry of Education's workforce. (ACT's education policy: https://www.act.org.nz/education）；
Introduce stricter Education Review Office (ERO) assessments and allow well-run school boards to take over underperforming schools;
Introduce standardised testing twice a year in primary schools;
Publish school rankings online; allow a wider range of curriculum materials;
Increase the frequency of mock exams;
Replace the current NCEA qualification with university entrance exams;
Give industry employers and tertiary institutions greater influence over NCEA;
Increase unannounced ERO inspections of early childhood education providers; expand health assessments for children aged 4 to include basic educational skills, and withdraw funding from early childhood providers whose B4 assessment results consistently fall below standard (ACT's education reform policy: https://www.act.org.nz/education-foundation）；
Abolish the free school lunches programme.

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Green Party policies at a glance:

Provide universal student support payments of NZ$385 per week, offer paid work placements, expand free apprenticeship training and restore default student association membership (the Greens' tertiary education policy: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/beachheroes/pages/9632/attachments/original/1682635699/Policy-Greens_Tertiary-Education-Policy-2014-2023.pdf?1682635699）。
Work towards universal free public early childhood education;
Improve teacher-to-student ratios at all school levels and fund universal Māori language and culture classes in state schools;
Establish health, mental health and social service centres in schools;
Expand free lunches to cover 365,000 school students;
Ban ability streaming (the Greens' education policy: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/beachheroes/pages/9653/attachments/original/1682553978/Policy-Greens_Education-Policy-2013-2023.pdf?1682553978）；

Māori Party policies at a glance:

Double funding for the Māori Language Commission;
Pay teachers according to their Māori language proficiency;
Include Māori language and Māori history as core subjects in Year 10;
Invest NZ$40,000,000 in Māori language training for teachers;
Require Māori language to make up 25% of school curricula by 2026, rising to 50% by 2030;
Invest NZ$20,000,000 in Māori language resources and require publicly funded broadcasters to have basic Māori language fluency (click here to read the Māori Party's policy: https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/te_reo_maori）；
Double student allowances and provide free public transport for students at all levels;
Ensure Māori secondary education receives funding on the same basis as mainstream education;
Establish a NZ$200,000,000 fund for education initiatives run by Māori families (whānau), subtribes (hapū) and tribes (iwi), and allocate a quarter of the education budget to Māori education models;
Provide free digital services for Years 4 to 13, and prohibit the expulsion of students under 16;
Require school leaders to have Māori language skills;
Establish a NZ$276,000,000 fund for STEM and STEAM academies (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and art);
Double trades training for Māori and Pacific peoples;
Abolish apprenticeship training fees (click here to read the Māori Party's education and training policy: https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/education_training）。

New Zealand First policies:

Remove “gender ideology” from school curricula, particularly in primary schools.

Public safety and justice

Labour Party policies at a glance:

Expand the fast-response “circuit breaker” intervention programme;
Establish two new youth justice facilities;
Create a specific ram-raiding offence and allow young people aged 12 and 13 to be charged in the Youth Court for ram raids;
Increase sentences for offenders who use or incite minors to commit crimes;
Make posting criminal activity online an aggravating factor in sentencing;
Create a new long-term rehabilitation programme for a group of young people with high offending rates;
Add 300 frontline police officers over the next 4 years, and progressively increase the involvement of mental health professionals in emergency call responses over 5 years (Labour's policy to increase police numbers: https://www.labour.org.nz/news-release_labour_will_deliver_largest_police_service_in_history）；
Establish a formal class action system, reform consent law for sexual offences, review the legislative settings for District Court jury trials, expand the use of audiovisual technology in courts, and legislate to address name suppression settings, abuse of process and seeking minors' consent (Labour's victim-focused justice policy: https://www.labour.org.nz/release_faster_justice_system_focused_on_victims);
Ensure police officers outnumber gang members.

National Party policies at a glance:

Restore the three strikes law; cap sentence reductions at 40% of the total sentence;
Make gang membership an aggravating factor in sentencing;
End taxpayer funding for cultural background reports used by offenders to seek reduced sentences;
Extend offender rehabilitation programmes to remand prisoners (National's public safety policy: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/nationalparty/pages/18013/attachments/original/1687647991/Real_consequences_for_crime.pdf?1687647991);
Ban gang gatherings and the wearing of gang patches and insignia in public;
Allow police to prevent known gang offenders from associating for three years (National's policy to tackle gangs: https://www.national.org.nz/backing_police_tackling_gangs);
Expand firearms prohibition orders and give police warrantless search and seizure powers;
Give the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners (COLFO) a role in developing firearms policy, review the Arms Act and transfer statutory responsibility for administering firearms law and policy to the Ministry of Justice (National's policy: https://www.national.org.nz/national_s_firearms_policy_will_keep_kiwis_safe);
Introduce a serious offender category for young people aged 10–17:
Establish military training facilities for young offenders aged 15–17;
Invest in community organisations tackling youth offending (National's youth crime prevention policy: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/nationalparty/pages/17862/attachments/original/1684306248/CYO.pdf?1684306248）；
Add 300 frontline police officers over the next 4 years (National's policy to increase police numbers: https://www.national.org.nz/morepoliceofficers）；
Ensure police officers outnumber gang members;
Pass gang control policies within 100 days of taking office.

ACT Party policies at a glance:

Add 524 prisoner beds to the prison system each year;
Reduce spending on community sentences;
Give Corrections responsibility for overseeing youth offending;
Add 200 beds for young offenders;
Lower the age of adult criminal responsibility to 17 (ACT's youth offending policy: https://www.act.org.nz/adult-justice-for-17-year-old-offenders）；
Make violence against workers an aggravating factor in sentencing (ACT's public safety policy: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/actnz/pages/13291/attachments/original/1689205325/Tougher_Sentences_for_Attacks_on_Vulnerable_Workers_Policy_Document.pdf?1689205325）；
Introduce gang control orders; strengthen firearms control powers; use Inland Revenue to investigate gang income; introduce infringement notices for shoplifting; use ankle bracelets for young people convicted of serious offences; review electronic monitoring; transfer proceeds of crime to victims; restore the three strikes law and include burglary; require parolees to complete basic life skills and rehabilitation training; and increase police staffing budgets in line with population growth (ACT's law and order policy: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/actnz/pages/10550/attachments/original/1676737372/1_Real_Change_-_Law_and_Order.pdf?1676737372）；
Repeal 6 provisions of the Arms Legislation Act 2020; introduce a new bill to replace the Arms Act 1983 and all subsequent amendments (ACT's firearms policy: https://www.act.org.nz/firearms）。

Green Party policies at a glance:

Fund rehabilitation for all offenders and provide traditional Māori and restorative justice options;
Establish specialist courts for young people and Pacific youth throughout New Zealand;
Fund mental health and drug rehabilitation services for young offenders;
Require regular police de-escalation training, teaching frontline officers how to prevent situations from escalating when responding to incidents, and reduce youth detention;
Increase funding for legal aid and Community Law;
Implement the recommendations of the inquiry into the Christchurch terrorist attack (the Greens' justice policy: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/beachheroes/pages/9615/attachments/original/1682904156/Policy-Greens_Justice-Policy-2020-2023.pdf?1682904156）。

Māori Party policies at a glance:

Reallocate existing police and court budgets, using half to establish a Māori Justice Authority and a parallel Māori justice system based on Māori customs and traditional values (tikanga) and principles of self-determination;
Abolish New Zealand's prisons by 2040;
Close youth justice detention facilities and adopt all Waitangi Tribunal recommendations on justice;
Repeal the amendments to the Bail Act;
Raise the age of criminal responsibility to 16;
Expunge criminal records for drug use or possession;
Require police to wear body cameras;
Introduce a “judgement proof debtor policy” and replace the existing Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) with a body of barristers holding the same powers;
Increase the discretionary payment limit to NZ$10,000;
Restore voting rights for all prisoners;
Expand mental health co-response teams;
Increase funding for rehabilitation services for “addicts” (the Māori Party's justice policy: https://drive.google.com/file/d/176hWaOhkn1LpQczamCxdwJVA7Yzem4D_/view）。

New Zealand First policies at a glance:

Make gang membership an aggravating factor in sentencing, introduce a mandatory minimum six-month sentence for assaulting emergency responders, designate gangs as “terrorist organisations” and establish dedicated gang prisons;
Add at least 500 frontline police officers; double the number of Youth Aid officers; reaffirm police pay and employment benefits to reduce staff turnover;
Provide “well-resourced” community policing, including Māori and Pacific community patrols and neighbourhood support programmes;
Introduce a youth justice points system; review hit-and-run laws and increase penalties for fleeing; prioritise victims and communities over offenders in criminal proceedings; help secondary students and prisoners obtain driver licences;
Help people approaching release from prison remove gang tattoos, with funding available only once and any subsequent tattoo removal paid for by the individual. Introduce a system of “murder classifications”, with “life imprisonment” for first-degree murder;
Remove eligibility for community corrections and sentence reductions for violent offenders who pose a threat to the community;
Require prisoners to help construct prison-related buildings, so prisoners bear the labour costs rather than taxpayers;
Enforce laws against “dumping hazardous waste” and increase fines for minor offences such as using a mobile phone while driving and shoplifting;
Expand the use of financial penalties, including asset confiscation, reparation and fines;
End concurrent sentencing for offences committed while on parole, on bail or in detention;
Examine the budget required to issue body cameras and fund protective equipment for corrections staff;
Ensure consistency in legislation by using “corrections officer” in place of current terms such as “prison guard” and “prison security”;
Require mandatory minimum sentences, served consecutively, for assaults on corrections officers;
Establish mental health response teams.

That is YIJU's overview of some of the policies of concern to our readers. Having read the parties' policies, what do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments.