GayNZ.com approached every political party which has announced it will contest the 17 September general election, inviting them to outline how their policies will specifically benefit GLBT people. As of 19 August we have not received replies from the Christian Heritage Party, Destiny NZ, The Greens, NZ First or United Future. We have received replies from the ACT, Labour, Libertarians, Greens, Maori, National, Progressive and Alliance parties. We publish them here in alphabetical order. ACT NEW ZEALAND PARTY Message from the party leader, Rodney Hide MP ACT is a liberal Party, founded on personal responsibility, choice and freedom. As such, it is the champion of the individual and the minority. After all-the individual is the ultimate minority ACT is opposed to increasing state control over our lives and to the philosophy that greater government intervention is the way to provide a better society. I am a committed campaigner and advocate for Liberal principles. I believe in a liberal society. A society that embraces diversity and allows all its individuals and communities to live free of laws and attitudes that inhibit them, but protects people's rights and safety. The different sexual orientation, ethnic, religious, political, class or other individual communities that make New Zealand such a diverse and interesting nation, need not just be protected. They need to be given the opportunity to reach their full potential-to prosper. This is where I am at odds with those who advocate big government intervention in our lives. The last six years of this Labour Government has demonstrated that greater taxation, legislation and intervention does not provide a better society either as a whole or for the individual communities within it. Consider these facts: Despite inheriting the best economic conditions in decades, Labour has taken all the benefits through record taxation, higher charges and levies; The average household is no better off. Because of Labour's policies, the economy is now slowing down. And what has been done with all the record taxation, charges and levies? They have created a huge bureaucracy and they have a near $7 billion surplus that should be used to give every worker a tax cut. In health, despite a record splurging of tax dollars, up by $3.5 billion dollars, waiting lists and services have not altered. There were 180,220 people on hospital waiting lists before Labour was elected - today there are 180,600, despite the huge spend. But the Health bureaucracy has surged. Other social policy outcomes where huge money has been spent show similar or worse failure. It is a fact that in tertiary education, Labour railed in Opposition about student debt. Well, the average student debt has risen under Labour by over 25%, from $11,885 per student, to $14,941. It is a fact that in the tragic area of child abuse, the last year has seen established cases of child abuse rocket 45% to a record 13,017. It is a fact that violent crime is up 13%. It is fact that despite the inherited good economic conditions and unemployment fall associated with that, Labour has wasted it. The number of people on benefits is now forecast in Labour's budget to grow by 19,000 in the next four years. And it is extraordinary that the numbers on Sickness and Invalids Benefits has ballooned to 135,000. In 1970, there were only 17,000 on these benefits. And if they had increased in proportion to the population increase of 44% since 1970, there should only be 25,000 people on these benefits. But what really reveals the failure of the higher taxation and government spending strategy is the fact that many people and families are no better off, and struggle to get ahead despite the better economic times. ACT is not saying that everything has got worse. But ACT is saying that the overwhelming evidence is that high taxation and government spending, is not the answer. And the evidence shows it. More taxation and government spending will not fix health. It won't fix violent crime, student debt, the exploding levels of child abuse or the endless scandals in our centrally controlled education system with its NCEA and Wananga issues. And it will certainly not lift peoples and families ability to get ahead as they would under a low tax, less bureaucracy and greater personal responsibility government. Less government and taxation are the core features of countries who are providing the highest standards of living for their people. If ever there was an example, it has been Ireland, which in just 10 years has leaped from 18th to second in the world for its standard of living. And the main reason for this. Lower taxes. New Zealanders are poised to make a pivotal choice this election. Keep on with high taxes, charges and levies and increasing government control and intervention in our lives. Or lower taxes, more freedom, choice and personal responsibility. The indications are that a new National led government is a serious possibility. But it will need a partner to govern because it cannot get 50% of the vote on its own. It needs ACT to help form a centre right government and it needs ACT to help deliver a society based on freedom, choice and personal responsibility. ALLIANCE Message from Queer Issues Spokesperson Kelly Buchanan August 2005 The Alliance is strongly committed to defending human rights for all, including the queer communities. We would work to eliminate remaining discrimination in law, and take active steps to combat homophobia in society. Unlike any of the parties currently in parliament, the Alliance wholeheartedly supports extending the right to marry to same sex couples as a matter of policy. Although we applauded the Civil Union and Relationships Bills and made submissions in their support, we have always maintained that civil unions alone while retaining heterosexual-only legal marriage is not good enough. The Alliance would significantly increase funding for health care through a dedicated health levy of 1%. This would cover free doctor's visits for all and the elimination of prescription charges, as well as reducing hospital waiting lists. This would be of great benefit to people living with AIDS or other health problems, and provide peace of mind for everyone else. Eliminating poverty is a key goal of the Alliance, and aside from being desirable in its own right, this would contribute to reducing homophobia. Discrimination flourishes wherever people experience inequality and hardship, and parasites like Destiny are always on hand to offer scapegoats to blame. Alliance policies to fight poverty include raising the minimum wage to $15, strongly progressive taxation, provision of affordable housing, and increases in benefit rates. The Alliance offers a true alternative to the free market, user pays ideology shared by the major parties. GREEN PARTY Message from Mark Servian August 2005 Why Gay and Lesbian voters should vote for the Green Party The Green Party celebrates and promotes diversity. We support same-sex couples having all the same rights in law as opposite-sex couples and were the only party whose MPs unanimously supported the Civil Union and Relationships Acts as a matter of policy. It was only with Green support that the government was able to pass the Care of Children Act. Despite the passage of the Relationships Bill, same-sex couples are still disadvantaged under adoption and immigration laws. The Green Party proposed amendments to correct this situation during the reading of the Bill and we will continue to push for a law change. In the interests of finding the best adoptive parents for a child, it is essential that same-sex couples are considered on the same basis as opposite-sex couples, that is their parenting skills, not their sexual orientation. In determining an individual ' s citizenship, the law does not, and should not, discriminate on the grounds of sexuality. The law is therefore inconsistent in allowing discrimination against same-sex couples who have taken the extra step of entering a civil union. We look not only at what effect a policy will have on the rainbow community as a whole, but also on the different groups within it. Not all gay people are in a ' high-double-income family without dependents ' or have plenty of disposable income. There are an increasing number of rainbow families with children - many on a single income. Health is a significant area of concern for many gays and lesbians. Research shows that young gays and lesbians are at greater risk of having mental health problems. The Green Party will work with rainbow youth groups and health and education professionals to ensure every young person has access to appropriate counselling and all schools have programmes to eliminate discrimination and abuse against those who do not fit the ' norm ' . Every school should be a safe and supportive environment for all our children. The Green Party will provide new migrants with education about New Zealand society, including information about gay and lesbian communities, which may exist only in secret in the countries they come from. There continues to be a gap between male and female pay rates, and this disadvantages lesbian couples. The Green Party will work to eliminate the gender pay gap by implementing all the recommendations of the Pay and Employment Equity Taskforce. To facilitate a more tolerant and diverse society the Greens will put in place a number of programmes in schools, workplaces and communities to improve understanding and reduce discrimination and prejudice. We also support the right of same-sex couples to marry. Allowing same-sex marriage as well as civil unions is largely symbolic, but it is nevertheless important. Anything that symbolises societal acceptance of homosexuality will help to reduce rates of depression and anxiety among non-heterosexual youth. And of course, if you don ' t approve of same-sex marriage or civil unions, you don ' t have to have one! The Greens are the only party looking ahead beyond the next term of government. What we do not shapes what our world will be like in 20, 50 or 100 years. We will work to protect the environment, to confront and address the difficult problems of peak oil and climate change. We have to use energy wisely and so the Greens would bring down the cost of solar panels so there are half a million of them on homes in the next five years. We will improve public transport and rail, and so reduce our dependence on the private motor car. New Zealand is sold as 100% pure - but NIWA research tells us that 95% of our lowland rivers are unsafe for drinking or swimming. The Green Party will stop the pollution of our streams and rivers. And the Greens want everyone to have a fair go. We will increase the minimum wage to $12 an hour, give parents the right to negotiate more family-friendly working conditions and reform the welfare system so it is simpler and fairer. We will make the first $5,000 of income tax-free for everyone, without cutting public services. The Green Party has said it will only support a Labour-led government. We are the only potential partner for Labour that will speak up for human rights and fight racism and homophobia. As a partner in government, the Greens will be a strong voice for sustainability and social justice. LABOUR PARTY Message from the party leader, Prime Minister Helen Clark July 2005 Labour believes that all New Zealanders are entitled to fairness and justice under the law and in society. Since coming into office in 1999, Labour has advanced significant policy and legislative changes which have benefited Rainbow communities. I believe that in general New Zealand is a tolerant and enlightened society, and as a result of these changes, is a better place for having more basic human rights acknowledged. We have made major advances in removing legal discrimination. The laws that discriminated against unmarried couples, including same sex partnerships, have been reformed by the Relationships (Statutory References) Act and associated measures. This means people are treated the same by the law in areas as diverse as commerce, education, health, taxation and social assistance. Introduced in tandem was the Civil Union Act, which enables to register their relationship as a civil union. This is available as an option to both heterosexual and homosexual couples. The Labour-led government has also given equal status to same-sex, defacto, and married couples for immigration purposes. In addition we passed the Property (Relationships) Amendment Act, providing equal protection for same-sex and different-sex couples. Under the Labour-led government legislation was passed to allow people convicted of crimes that are no longer on the statute book to have their convictions wiped. Criminal law was also improved with the introduction of the Sentencing Act 2002 which allows hate motivation to be considered as an aggravating factor in criminal sentencing. Labour's strong record in government provides a solid foundation for future progress, and we are committed to continuing to promote respect for the human rights of all New Zealanders. No matter what part of New Zealand society people come from, each is entitled to the opportunity to reach the New Zealand dream. That's what our Labour government has dedicated itself to, and we will continue to work hard to foster a fair and inclusive society. LIBERTARIANZ Message from Julian Pistorius, Libertarianz Party deputy. Libertarianz is the political party based on the principle of freedom. We believe all voluntary interactions between consenting adults should be legalised. Libertarianz believes the only role for the state in adult relationships is to provide a legal framework to enforce the terms and conditions that people consent to in marriages or other formalised relationships, and to allow those relationships to be dissolved. Libertarianz fully supports the concept of a civil union and would also support allowing marriages between same sex couples, and indeed polygamous marriages or marriages between people who are already related—in all cases as long as all parties are adults and consenting. Libertarianz will remove any discriminatory laws that restrict GLBT people from adopting children. Because taxation is theft of private property, Libertarianz will reduce taxation to zero over a period of five years. Individuals will be free to purchase goods, services and support charities and causes of their own choice - with their own money. A Libertarianz government will not force GLBT taxpayers to pay for the handouts and election bribes being offered to ‘middle New Zealand,' ‘hard-working mums and dads' or any other collectivised grouping. Libertarianz is committed to the protection of everyone's individual rights. We are committed to a police force that is serious about investigating and prosecuting every act of violence against individuals or their property. We will stop the police pursuing victimless crimes by legalising drug use and drug trade between consenting adults. Libertarianz members come from all walks of life, with no particular bias toward any gender, ethnicity or age. That said, GLBT people are always well-represented in the party - probably because GLBT people are among those most opposed to social engineering by a meddling state. Also coming out requires the courage to be your own person no matter what others think and this is true of Libertarianz. MAORI PARTY Message from the party co-leader, Na Dr. Pita Sharples July 2005 The Maori Party operates on the basis that people are its priority. As such, the importance of whanau takes centre stage in the Party's vision for the nation's future. The decisions and policies of the Party focus in on uplifting and strengthening whanau; ensuring whanau are properly resourced to access good services, to invest in themselves, participate in society and to determine their own futures. The decisions and policies of the Party are also about restoring a sense of confidence in whanau, that whanau is and can be a meaningful and secure centre from which we can each determine our own lives, and from such a location, contribute to and progress the nation. The Maori Party's priority of whanau includes gay and lesbian people, whanau and communities, and recognises that it is whakapapa which joins peoples together – both whakapapa in terms of ancestral ties and whakapapa in terms of a shared history and future in Aotearoa. The Party is unequivocal in this, the inclusivity of all peoples, all whanaunga, regardless and indeed regardful of their sexual orientation. This inclusiveness and regard for all peoples comes out of the Maori Party's commitment to kaupapa Maori, or values that arise from a Maori worldview. It is the Party's belief that these values can be applied universally for the benefit of all peoples, that they have meaning and resonance for all who call Aotearoa home. Of particular relevance, and already gestured to above, are those values that offer guidance in how the Maori Party responds to the needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-sexual voters. Values such as manaakitanga, whakapapa and whanaungatanga ask that all peoples be embraced, included and regarded, that their differences be acknowledged and respected, and that the relationships and connections between all peoples be recognised and affirmed. Translating that into the practices and policies of the Maori Party, the Party both recognises and respects the distinctiveness (mana) of all peoples, and is inclusive of and open to (manaaki) the diverse knowledges, backgrounds and family structures this brings. The everyday expression of these values has, however, become marginalised to an extent that they do not protect gay or lesbian relationships from bigotry or harmful treatment by others. Extreme moral beliefs have been drawn deep into Maori society as much as any other society, so much so that Maori have also been challenged by dogma, intolerance and bigotry. The Maori Party is aware of the strength of views against gay and lesbian relationships, and of the erroneous view that homophobia is and was a feature of traditional Maori society. This is not the view of the Maori Party. The inclusion of the word takatapui in William's nineteenth century dictionary, and the story that accompanies its presence there, alerts us to the fact that there is indeed another reading. At the same time, the Maori Party acknowledges that as a political movement, as peoples of Aotearoa, as individuals, we still have a lot of work to do with our whanau and others to ensure that oppression and discrimination is eradicated in all settings. Countering homophobia requires building a commitment towards a goal and a vision that is powerful enough to both overshadow current prejudice and, more importantly, to challenge its very logic. For the Maori Party, this vision is for restoring kaupapa-informed whanau and communities, for restoring whanaungatanga as a key value for all who call Aotearoa home. ‘Walking the kaupapa talk' has been embedded into the decision and policy-making structure of the Maori Party through our first year of existence. One key aspect of this is representing the views of the people and of communities on the ground, of assisting with, invigorating and facilitating considered and value-driven debate. We welcome takatapui peoples to be part of these debates and dialogue, and invite your input into how the Party can better and effectively represent your interests, concerns and aspirations. NATIONAL PARTY A message from party leader Don Brash We are all New Zealanders. The National Party has a proud track record of defending human rights. We are a party that stands for freedom of choice, less government intrusion in the way we choose to organise our lives, and strong, secure communities. We advocate tolerance of all races and religions, and refuse to place limits on anyone because of their sexuality, their gender or their race. Unlike Labour, National will not marginalise New Zealanders by attempting to categorise them into voting blocks by using divisive and dangerous stereotyping. We choose not to ask about the sexual preferences of any political candidate, or any Member of Parliament because we believe it is completely irrelevant to their role as an MP. What is relevant to National, and what will be relevant to the next National Government, is a shared set of values to help make our economy grow, improve our wages, fix our education and justice systems, reform welfare and bring the Treaty claims process to a fair and final conclusion. It does not matter whether you are gay or straight if your aspirational goals are the same as your neighbour's. That is where National stands. We think all New Zealanders are equal, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation. National is committed to focussing on the big picture and, of course, the gay, lesbian and trans-sexual communities are part of that. I am not afraid to stand up for injustice where it occurs. I marched in demonstrations against nuclear weapons and against whites-only All Black tours to South Africa. I am a patron of the Amnesty International Freedom Foundation and I was also involved in the petition to re-examine the evidence that led to the conviction of Peter Ellis. I have said that National is a party for all those who share our values and our aspirations for New Zealand. We aim to represent all New Zealanders who are regular law-abiding honest Kiwis. We represent those who get up in the morning and go to work, and those who choose to stay at home with the kids. We represent those seeking to better themselves through education or retraining and those who expect a first-class education system and a first-class health system. We represent those who want security and stability. We will support those who take responsibility for themselves and their families, and those who want the opportunities to get ahead in life. We, like them, don't want to be told what to do all the time by government, and we're tiring of the political correctness that is invading every aspect of our lives. National says there should be no basis for discrimination, or special treatment, on the basis of sexual orientation, religion, gender or race. We are entirely focused on dealing with need – no matter where it occurs in our communities. Sexual orientation is far less important to me than a set of shared values, for safer communities, better quality education and for a society where no child grows up in a home with parents permanently on a benefit. Sexual orientation doesn't stop decent people opposing compensation for jailed rapists and murderers, and sexual orientation doesn't matter if we all want dangerous criminals kept behind bars for longer. National believes the way for the gay and lesbian community to get ahead is the same as for every other Kiwi. The gay and lesbian community will benefit from a tax system that provides incentives for hard work and enterprise. They will benefit from an education system focussed on quality, and they will benefit from a justice system that restores safety in our communities. Over the coming weeks, the National Party will be unveiling the components in its plan for a more successful, more prosperous New Zealand. A plan to give New Zealand the modern infrastructure, especially in roading and electricity, which is a key to better economic growth. A plan to change the Resource Management Act to remove the roadblocks which are stalling both our infrastructure development and investment in productive enterprise. A plan to provide world class schools, and programmes which deliver basic numeracy and literacy. Policies to focus our investment in meaningful tertiary courses. Policies to ensure that hard-working New Zealanders are not carrying the burden of supporting those who choose not to work. And a taxation policy which shows our faith in New Zealand getting ahead, through the efforts of New Zealanders with the incentives to get ahead. PROGRESSIVE PARTY Message from the spokesperson on human rights issues, Matt Robson MP July 2005 This election is an important one for all GLTB people. It is being conducted in a climate of overt hostility to gays and lesbians from some mainstream political parties. This is a regressive development. In the past homophobia has been the province of the lunatic fringe (who are, as always, still with us) but this time they are not alone. This underlines the dangers of complacency and GLTB people should therefore make their voting choices carefully. But also unlike previous elections, party spokespeople can't get away with mealy-mouthed utterances or commitments. They now have on public record a major test of their attitudes – how did they vote on civil unions? The Civil Unions Act controversy was not just about civil unions. It was about what sort of society we want New Zealand to be. Is it to be an open and inclusive society? Or is to be one in which some people are excluded and persecuted as in the past? The response of political parties to civil unions allows you to judge them accordingly. The Progressive Party publicly supported civil unions from the outset and stayed staunch throughout. We spoke publicly in favour of it on numerous occasions and responded to an avalanche of correspondence by forthrightly stating the reasons why we thought it should be passed. So did others, of course. But we have a unique distinction. Jim Anderton was the only party leader to take a public position against the Catholic bishops and other churchmen when they launched virulent pulpit attacks against civil unions and threatened retaliation at the election. That Progressive stance was unequivocal. We don't exercise our vote and our support for human rights under threat. But as well as defending those rights we believe in being positive and forward-looking. There is much yet to achieve. The Progressive Party, if returned to government, identifies three priority next steps. The first is making our schools safe not just for young people, but for teachers as well, so that people are able to come out without fear of bullying and outright attack, and can be sure that homophobia at school is nipped firmly in the bud. We should all be familiar with the recent study by Out There that found that a third of non-heterosexual kids didn't feel safe at school most of the time. There's a programme called Safety in Schools for Queers under way to do something about that, and we unreservedly support it. Secondly, and linked to that, is the problem of gay suicide. There's a 1999 study, confirmed by further research last year, which shows that by the age of 21 nearly seven out of ten GLTB young people have contemplated suicide and 32% have reported making an actual attempt. Comparable figures for non gays are 28% and 7%. As Associate Minister of Health, Progressive Leader Jim Anderton has taken portfolio responsibility for suicide prevention and related public health matters and he's moved the current anti-suicide programmes to a much higher level of priority. But he also wants to extend them and he's launched a discussion paper called A Life Worth Living, which specifically invites comment on the need to deal with the problem of GLTB suicide. Jim wants to pursue that initiative in the next term of parliament. But he can't do that unless he's returned for Wigram – which he will be – and there's the return of a Labour led government in which he can take part. It would make life much easier for him if he had one of two further Progressive colleagues alongside me to help him with that push. Thirdly, there's the question of access to HIV/AIDS medication. The recent full access to Kaletra has helped, but New Zealand is still dragging behind many other countries when it comes to the availability of up-to-date antiretrovirals. The Progressives support initiatives to streamline Pharmac's approval and registration procedures for new drugs which have been already approved in the UK, US, and Australia. We endorse the philosophy behind human rights legislation, and we reject any proposition that these rights should be the subject of a referendum; human rights are human rights and counting heads doesn't change that. We similarly reject the idea that New Zealand should be divided into a “mainstream” and an excluded “rest of the population” with gays part of the latter. That's the way we used to run our society and we don't want to go back to it. But we also believe that a philosophical commitment to human rights is not enough. It needs clear, specific, concrete programmes to deliver those rights. Voting Progressives with your party vote will help make those programmes a reality. Various - 31st August 2005