United Future

Well done United Future. This policy is great. I have been looking forward to a politician raising this idea for years. I'm not sure, but I have heard it was first proposed by a sociology or tax think tank from Massey Uni in the 80's but was discarded then by that government. I'm not convinced it's needed for those families with kids older than 5 years old (however we can't underestimate the vital voluntary contribution of parents to school community life these days). When all the kids are over 5yrs old they should be in formal education and policies should encourage parents to find part-time work within school hours. I like this idea in that it encourages family life, the traditional family unit and goes back to basic family values while giving real value to the role of the parent at home (most commonly, respect for the role of a mother) with the pre-school child during a vitally important time in their development.

This is an excellent policy that needs to be looked at from a far wider angle than just how much money some will get. It is about the welfare of our society as a whole. We are growing generations of children who don't have a stable home life because their parents are stressed trying to manage home, schools, work and then leisure - when there is time and money for it.
I have 4 middle school aged children. Having recently tried to go back to work, I have found that the logistics of part-time work and managing our home is extremely difficult. When children are pre-school age they are largely at home. The older they get the more activities and school demands that, as parents, we are expected to help them with. To maintain a clean, peaceful, healthy environment for children is almost a full-time job even when they are at school. This policy, if passed, would give parents who are mostly at home the ability to spend more time with their children as they grow rather than less. It would also show support for the position of parents in our community and country. At the very least this should be available for those with children under five. But for anyone who has slightly older children this would be a relief to some of the stresses of being a responsible parent.

What happens if you separate?

Not to say a full devorce but a short term separation?

And what happens if one partner works seasonally overseas for some of the year?

This policy doesn't help full time solo parents.

Oh and what about Maori... what if you have an extended family arrangement... with four or five adults. Do they get to split income accross four or five people?

Or is it Nuclear family only?

I like the idea.. but you had better make it fair for all families.

"Families" is a multi facited word nowdays.

I think it is a great idea. As a parent raising children in the 1980's - 90's my husband had a reasonably well paid job and we did not have the accessability of WFF tax credits as families do these days. We missed the era of child support payments as well. Had we been able to split the income then it would have made a huge difference to our standard of living over this period of time.
I am not a fan of WFF and in fact think it should be abolished. Certainly if income splitting was to happen then WFF must go.

Still to much thought put into it.
Simple fix.
Its the parent that struggles to live on whats left after child support payments, bills that take off overseas.I know. I was one of them.
Tell you why.
I thought I could get back on track by putting in the overtime. How wrong I was. The more I worked the more I got hit.
In the end lost my job, my house, my daughter.
How about this?
Take from me the money from the 40hours worked at the percent it is now. Let me try to get a life back by leaving the overtime alone.
Is it only New Zealand IRD that dips into the percentage of Child Support and takes money?
Other countries as I have learnt through my travels get the entire percentage of money to the child.
I paid $69 a month whilst travelling looking for work.
I have been made to feel like a criminal.
The only criminals in my eyes and a lot of other eyes is IRD Child Support!
Something must be done to help a parent not lose his or her life. The unpaid Child Support total will come down. Parents wont be forced to leave.

Hi,

Hey Dunn
Can't wait around anymore for this change and to see if it's fair.
So I have sent my child support mail to c/o Peter Dunn, Beehive, Wellington.
Hope you don't mind for I'm heading back overseas and wont be paying a cent.
Good luck to all parent's that are waiting for this to happen.

I am a solo dad who has his kids 50% of the time. I have two kids under 5, and would dearly love to be able to work less than a 40 hour week to be able to spend more time with them.

Why should a couple who are together be able to income share, and a solo parent misses out?

Solo parents should also be able to split their income. I suggest that for the purposes of this bill, solo parents be allowed to split their income as if they had a partner who is earning nothing. That way solo parents are not being discriminated against.

Quote from Mrs Burt:

"....This policy, if passed, would give parents who are mostly at home the ability to spend more time with their children..... "

I'm sorry! What about giving some parents who are working 10 hour days more time at home or even coaching a childs soccer team... or even just preparing the nights meal together.

An while htat parent does this.. the other parent who spends most oftheday at home can go earn some dosh for the new plasma TV which apparently is a must have.

Sorry this whole thing sucks.. as per usual those poor sods who get well and truley done in by thier partners who just leave on a whim... get nothing and the happy family who actually live together (so valuable) get even more.

Financially stigmitising. We need to start being fair accross the boaurd... with all policies.
IRD should be disestablished and made into commercial and domestic special branches. Too much resource kicking the punters and not enough dealing with teh companies that are exporting OUR wealth overseas.