A MESSAGE FROM HON PETER DUNNE,
LEADER, UNITED FUTURE

New Zealand today is at an economic and social crossroads, with the New Zealand family under greater stress than ever. Mounting levels of violence, increasing social dysfunction and inequality, and people simply feeling more left out than before are taking their toll.

New Zealanders are rapidly losing faith in the institutions of our country, themselves, and our nation itself. We seem to be on an ever-accelerating treadmill, which we are powerless to stop.

United Future stands out against all this. We say it is time to rekindle the traditional New Zealand values of compassion, honesty, personal responsibility, reliability, trust and effort on which our country was founded. It is time to recognise again the key role of the family, and that strong and healthy families are the pathway to a strong and healthy society.

While United Future is often a lone voice for common sense and integrity in politics, our vision is not unrealistic.

It is very much achievable and within our grasp. United Future is a coalition of the United and Future New Zealand parties. At the 1999 election, standing as separate parties, we had one MP elected between us. However, our combined party vote, had we been together, would have been enough to have entitled us at one list MP as well. Two United Future MPs in the current Parliament would hold the balance of power.

Our goal from here is simple - retain the Ohariu Belmont seat we presently hold by over 12,500 votes, and score at least 1.3% of the party vote across New Zealand to gain a second MP. That is the equivalent of about 400 party votes in each electorate. At around 700 party votes per electorate we would gain a third MP, and at just over 1400 party votes per electorate, a fourth MP.

This means no party vote for United Future will be wasted. All will count towards rebuilding New Zealand and making it once again the best place on earth to live in and raise a family. The policy papers on the following pages set out our detailed plans for New Zealand