The wellbeing of children and young people is best secured by ensuring their whānau and communities have what they need. A prosperous and successful Aotearoa must be built around the needs of our tamariki.

Unfortunately, too many children are still missing out, especially in their crucial early years. When these years are a time of stress for families, there are long-term consequences for our kids.

This Government has made a big difference to whānau by increasing Working for Families support, extending Paid Parental Leave, and introducing the Best Start Payment, so kids get a better start in life. The Green Party prioritises the needs of whānau through all of our policies, ensuring everything we do helps our youngest citizens.

The Green Party will:

• Work to see that all children are safe, and provide community support to address the root causes of child abuse and neglect.
  
  
• Improve funding for early childhood education and extend childcare subsidies.
  
  
• Create school hubs with health and other services on-site.
  
  
• Create safe walking and biking routes for every school, by supporting local authorities to implement active transport plans created by school communities.
  
  
• Develop a Kids in Nature programme where schools get operational funding to enable students to learn in outdoor classrooms, build their outdoor recreation skills, and go kayaking, bush walking, and snorkelling.
  
  
• Ensure every child lives in a warm, dry home through the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme and by improving the Building Code.
  
  
• Ensure government agencies  actively  engage  children and young people in decision making on issues that affect them.
  
  
• Increase Best Start support payments from $60 to $100 a week and make them universal for all children under three years old.
  
  
• Simplify Working for Families tax credits into a single “Family Support Credit” of $190 a week for the first child and $120 for each younger child.

Read more about our green vision for Aotearoa