What are the top issues facing families today?
October 02 12:27 PM
AUTHOR:
In a recent blog I reasserted UnitedFuture's claim as the family party – here are some excerpts from that:
"We are what we always have been – the family party. We are the only party that can be relied on to put the interests of families first in all policy areas, and to keep policies focused on the families and households that make up our country. But the family party is not the “family values” party. We are here for all New Zealand families, whatever their situation, recognising the pressures upon them in their daily lives, and doing our best to support them and the communities in which they live and work. By contrast, “family values” carries the taint of conservative religious values .... (yet) the one thing we do know about families is that no two families are alike. That is hardly surprising, given the diversity of humanity. Our individuality is what distinguishes human beings form the animals, so it is logical that while we all have a family structure, it is by no means a uniform situation. At best Those, like the extremists, who focus on family form, rather than function, miss the point. What families do, and how they function, is far more important than what they look like. So UnitedFuture’s commitment is to families in their generic form. When Norman Kirk spoke in the early 1970s of the primary role of government being to promote policies in the interests of families, he did not then go on to define what constituted a family, or what values a family should hold. He did not need to – he knew then what we know now that family is a bigger concept than that. So while UnitedFuture is unapologetic for being the family party, we are equally explicit that we are here for all families, whatever their shape, or their circumstances, or their concerns. Every family contributes to the rich tapestry that is New Zealand, and every family deserves encouragement to be the best it can be.
You cannot stand for anything more powerful or inspirational than that."
Against that backdrop, I would like to know what you think are the top or three issues facing New Zealand families today.