Building on the work of the Constitutional Advisory Panel
It is UnitedFuture policy to:
- Continue the public conversation on constitutional matters, as recommended by the Constitutional Advisory Panel, with the aim of developing reform options on issues such as a written constitution and the role of the Treaty of Waitangi in time for a referendum in 2017;
- Prioritise a public debate on the glaring omission from the terms of reference for the Constitutional Advisory Panel, namely consideration of whether New Zealand should move to a republic within the Commonwealth in the future;
- Establish a New Zealand Day, separate from Waitangi Day, to celebrate our nation’s history, multicultural society, and to discuss the potential for the future;
- Introduce a Multicultural Act, similar to legislation in Canada, for the preservation and enhancement of multiculturalism in New Zealand;
- Consider making the Constitutional Advisory Panel a permanent or long term institution, with administrative support from the Ministry of Justice or Ministry of Culture and Heritage, to ensure the conversation about our Constitution arrangements continues;
- Review the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, with particular reference to the use and effectiveness of section 7 of that Act.
The Electoral System
It is UnitedFuture policy to:
- Investigate an extension of the Parliamentary term to four years, with a fixed election day;
- Re-introduce the "waka-jumping" legislation to require list MPs who leave the parties under whose banner they were elected to also resign from Parliament.
Civics and Citizenship
It is UnitedFuture policy to:
- Ensure that young New Zealanders understand their civic rights and responsibilities by introducing compulsory and comprehensive civics education from years 1-13, including information about elections, our electoral system, our Parliament, central and local government, courts, the Head of State and other institutions;
- Create a fund – available to lower decile schools and schools with disadvantaged students – to bring their students to Wellington to visit institutions such as Parliament, the Treaty of Waitangi, National Library, Te Papa, and to meet MPs, Ministers, the Governor-General, and Judges;
- Require immigrants to take a civics course as part of becoming a New Zealand citizen, to promote civic understanding and the norms and expectations of New Zealand society;
- Investigate the introduction of a graded system towards citizenship, to develop the idea that citizenship is a privilege and not a right, as well as investigating the introduction of a citizenship test.