Culture:

National believes that New Zealand's cultural facilities are important for the growth of our society, especially those which encourage tourism and contribute to our regional economies. We've worked hard to cultivate a Pure New Zealand brand which has brought prosperity to our regions and massively increased the number of overseas visitors.

We are the party of cultural development. Last time we governed, we worked with other parties to boost the Regional Culture & Heritage Fund's budget by $20m, which invests in capital projects by cultural organisations outside of our major cities. We opened an Asian Heritage Museum in Auckland to pay tribute to the long history of Asian-New Zealanders and the many contributions they have made to our society, as well as to promote cultural education.

If elected, we'll expand the Landmarks Whenua Tohunga programme outside of Northland, and promote Māori whakapapa in other regions around the country. Our Tourism Infrastructure Fund will get a $5m boost, and will ensure that tourist attractions and surrounding infrastructure are up to scratch. Finally, we want to spur a large effort to engage with Pacific cultures as a part of our ‘Pacific Pivot’ (read more in Foreign Affairs). As a part of this initiative, we will develop a Pasifika Cultural Centre in Māngere to engage the community, the country, and our Pacific neighbours.

National also plans to boost Radio New Zealand's funding by $25m annually. This will ensure that high quality and nonpartisan news is available for all, something which is especially important in the age of digital media. We’ll make the New Zealand Orchestra self-sustaining in the process so that Radio New Zealand does not need to prop it up, freeing up more resources. Finally, we want to ensure that authors and commissioners of works of art can have a fair deal by restructuring copyright and allowing a new form of ownership.

The National Party will:

• Boost Radio New Zealand's funding by $25m annually. High quality and nonpartisan public news media will improve New Zealanders’ awareness of current events without succumbing to the temptation of unnecessary editorialisation and excess partisanship.
• Make the New Zealand Orchestra organisationally separate and self-sustaining. This way, Radio New Zealand does not need to prop up this body and it will be able to exist on an independent basis without draining organisational resources.
• Build a new Pasifika Cultural Centre in Māngere to encourage economic development and strengthen cultural understanding between New Zealand and the Pacific region.
• Restructure copyright in New Zealand so that it may be held under a share-based model while guaranteeing that authors will have a minimum share. This will help authors come to a fair arrangement with any commissioners of their work while affording flexibility.
• Expand the Landmarks Whenua Tohunga programme to more regions. We’ll take the Landmarks Whenua Tohunga programme outside of Northland and promote Māori whakapapa in regions like the Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Waikato.
• Expand the Tourism Infrastructure Fund by another $5m to invest in tourist infrastructure and attractions around NZ. This will ensure that New Zealand’s world class tourist attractions are serviced by quality infrastructure and public utilities.
• Fund the Don Stafford Project in Rotorua to allow the Rotorua Museum to function while under renovation, allowing cultural tourists to continue to come.

Environment:

National has made big strides on conservation regulations in the past, and we are ready to tackle more of our problems going forward. We believe that under the control of the Greens, environmental policy simply becomes an ideological bludgeon against real, human needs. We saw this with the unmerited ban on fracking, something which the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment noted was unnecessary. Green dogma also prevailed during the debate over plastic waste, in which a costly ban of dubious efficacy was imposed rather than a revenue-raising charge system proposed by National. New Zealand needs a different direction.

National will bring forth an innovative, science-based approach to environmental policy if elected. We will ensure that New Zealand continues moving towards zero-carbon over time through the promotion of greener transportation within the public sector and by tightening the carbon tax to make our country a real leader in carbon emissions reduction, as we know that we can’t subsidise our way to zero-emissions. We will not ban fossil fuels in an ideological manner nor will we set hard limits on generation. We will ensure that our Sustainable Farming Fund is structured more efficiently so as to carry out its mission better, while removing unnecessary programmes which have nothing to do with sustainability.

Lastly, we’ll take a smart and evidence-based approach on waste and pollution. Under the Green Party’s watch, waste has piled up without regard to the future and pollution standards have not tightened up as they should have been. With National at the helm, we will reduce tyre waste and litter in proven ways which respect personal freedom. Unlike the neglectful Greens, National will also take a firm stance on gas pollutants and update the NEQS to promote public health and cleaner air. As with air, we will release new and stronger standards on water pollution too.

The National Party will:

• Merge the Sustainable Farming Fund into the Regional Investment Corporation to increase efficiency in the delivery of these vital programmes. The Regional Investment Corporation’s independent administration of loans and grants to rural entrepreneurs acts as a better model to administer similar environmental subsidies. We will scrap the mandate for unnecessary programmes within the Sustainable Farming Fund which do not advance sustainability.
• Ensure that at least half of our public sector vehicles are hybrid or electric. National will have the public sector lead the charge in transitioning to electric vehicles, acting as a role model to encourage regular Kiwis to do the same.
• Create a tyre recycling scheme using the powers of the Waste Management Act, declaring them a priority product and using duties to fund it. This will get tyres out of our environment and keep them away from illegal dumping sites abroad.
• Increase the take on the carbon tax by $10 per tonne. The carbon tax is a useful tool to rein in the CO2 emissions of this country and we will work to increase it in order to meet our international commitments on climate change and lead the way.
• Explicitly reject policies which would prescribe a 100% renewable generation threshold. Experts have come out against such a policy on the grounds that the 5% of non-renewably generated electricity is not easy enough to dislodge in a cost-effective or safe manner.
• Bring gas pollutant standards to World Health Organization standards. New Zealand currently has too lax of standards in the NEQS, and it needs to be properly updated to suit the times and deliver better public health outcomes.
• Increase the waste levy and streamline charges that deal with waste, then bolster the Waste Minimisation Fund. This will promote a better use of resources and encourage innovative waste management practices.
• Add more standards for water pollution and contamination. We will set limits for various different pollutants and ensure that water is clean in this country.
• Take a harder line on littering. The penalties for littering are out of step with the time and we would work to raise them to be in touch with the present conditions which exist in this country.
• Restrict the domestic trade of ivory in New Zealand through a licensing and inspection system. The relatively unregulated domestic ivory market needs to be controlled in order to meet international wildlife trafficking obligations.
• Remove controls on genetic modification so that biotechnological developments are not forced overseas. Genetic technologies are more prevalent than ever before and will be key to bringing forth a more sustainable future in agriculture.

Justice:

The National Party believes strongly in restorative justice, but also believes that with the carrot comes the stick. That's why we've historically stood up to the dangerous measures proposed by the left, such as our partial repeal of the Criminal Justice Reform Act 2018, an Act which increased the Youth Court age to 21 or the repeal of the three-strikes system. We also believe that there should be harsher sanctions on criminals who breach Extended Supervision Orders, imposed on those who commit serious sexual or violent offences. There is zero reason to be soft on murderers and rapists, and Extended Supervision Orders should be strongly enforced to ensure the safety of the general public. We'd also improve security in our only specialist maximum security unit at Auckland Prison, ensuring the safety of corrections officers and local communities. We would take up new causes in violence-prevention with restrictions on king-hitting and firearms.

However, rehabilitation will always be necessary to ensure that prisons do not breed hardened criminals or reinforce a cycle of crime and poverty. That's why we passed the Corrections (Prisoner Rehabilitation Reform) Amendment Act 2018 in the last time we governed, which allows for non-violent prisoners to have time taken off their sentence following the completion of literacy, numeracy or trade qualification programmes. It’s also why we supported such efforts pursued in the recent past too. If elected, National would work to expand programmes to allow parents in prisons to have extended contact with their children. Having parents in prison not only adversely affects the parent, but it has a substantial impact on the development of their child. An expansion of this programme would aid not just the rehabilitation of the parent, but the mental health of the child also. In addition to this, we'd implement compulsory reporting to Oranga Tamaraki if children are found in a house which has been contaminated by methamphetamines - something even more damaging to the development and health of a child.

Last term we made great strides in our longstanding commitment to an independent judiciary. We finally passed the Judicial Commission Bill with wide-ranging support only to see the government fail to fund it. This act of gross negligence by the Greens will be undone if we elected.

The National Party will:

• Adequately fund the Judicial Commission established by the now-passed Judicial Commission Act 2019. This will promote the independent judiciary New Zealand needs.
• Expand programmes for parents in prison to have contact with their children. We recognise that prison sentences on parents can have a serious impact on their children - we’ll ensure that more parents are able to contact their children while serving their sentence, while not compromising the safety of local communities.
• Ensure compulsory reporting to Oranga Tamariki if children are found to be in a house which has been contaminated with meth. We won’t let children go without support and supervision if they have been in contact with methamphetamines or are living in unsafe conditions.
• Notify landlords if Police are called more than three times in any 12-month period to a rental property. This will make sure that landlords and property owners know whether their tenants are committing crimes or misdemeanours on their premises.
• Impose tougher sanctions on criminals breaching Extended Supervision Orders. We’ll place harsher penalties on serious violent offenders and sexual offenders who breach the terms of their supervision, so that Kiwi communities aren’t placed at risk.
• Rebuild Auckland Prison's maximum security wing to improve security and mental health services. As the only specialist maximum security unit in the country, it’s especially important that sufficient levels of safety are maintained for correctional officers.
• Establish cumulative sentencing for the most dangerous crimes and bring back the three strikes system from the Fifth National Government. The most dangerous members of our society should not have an opportunity to slink into recidivism, and we must keep communities safe.
• Legalise the use of pepper spray for self-defence. By legalising pepper spray, we empower more people to take security into their own hands without risk of violence. We will ensure that it is still controlled and regulated.
• Repeal the Safe Access to Reproductive Services Bill. This bill imposes undue and arbitrary restrictions on the right of people to express themselves freely. Any more serious issues, such as threats and physical harm, are already crimes.
• Allow Sikh individuals to carry the kirpan, a symbol of faith. National strongly believes in religious freedom and it is only reasonable that Sikh people have the ability to express their faith.
• Institute new protections and considerations for search and surveillance by authorities. Our individual liberties are paramount and National would work to pass legislation to make this process more effective.
• Pass legislation reforming the way evidence is provided. This way, children and vulnerable persons will get fairer treatment in the justice system.
• Pass comprehensive firearms reform. We won’t pursue wasteful and unnecessary reforms like expanding the time for firearm licensing. Instead, we would aim to phase in a national firearms registry over time, close modification loopholes, and support real-time monitoring and information sharing for license-holders.

Māori Development:

National recognises the importance of Te Tiriti in New Zealand culture and law, and supports the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi which are outlined in legislation. For this reason, we will stand against any move to abolish the Māori Electoral Option, which ensures that Māori have representation in Parliament. Historically, Māori have faced extreme prejudice and discrimination in the laws enacted by Parliament and the actions taken by the government. Māori seats ensure that Māori have a voice, and are able to take a public stand against any action which would harm the rights and well being of Māori. During the Key Government, nearly 50 Māori groups finalised a Deed of Settlement relating to Treaty of Waitangi claims - compared to just 11 under the previous Labour government. National is committed to resolving Treaty of Waitangi claims, and as such would expand the funding of the Office of Treaty Settlements by $10m annually.

For tikanga and language considerations, National remains a firm supporter of compulsory Te Reo Māori in primary schools - it's important that New Zealand works to preserve our native language through measures such as this. We'd also expand the Landmarks Whenua Tohunga programme, which spreads awareness of Māori whakapapa, will help cultivate our multicultural society, and ensures preservation all while creating new opportunities.

If elected, we'd pursue real reform to Whānau Ora - an incredibly beneficial department which looks to improve the health and wellbeing of Māori communities. Sure, we are proposing funding increases but that is far from it. We would implement the recommendations of the Whānau Ora Review and make sure that it is more accountable and better structured to serve the needs of its users.

To tackle inequalities in poverty, National will also introduce a new microfinance scheme attuned to the needs of Māori. Trial versions of such initiatives have shown great promise in improving the long-term financial success of participants and we have legislation on the table to expand it. We will also work to streamline the succession of freehold land, a system often used by rural Māori landowners, so that it can be brought into use more easily.

The National Party will:

• Invest more into the Office of Treaty Settlements to better process treaty claims. We’ll give the OTS a substantial $10m budgetary increase to ensure that iwi can have their claims processed faster.
• Increase funding for Whānau Ora to improve the health of Māori communities, who disproportionately suffer from health and socioeconomic issues.
• Develop a micro-finance scheme administered by Te Puni Kōkiri. This will help the most vulnerable in our society, particularly Māori wahine, steer clear from illegal or predatory lending practices by creating a viable alternative. Micro-finance has shown promise for advancing financial literacy, and this one would promote that as well.
• Streamline the succession of freehold land and adjust the way the Māori Land Court functions. This way, freehold land is more able to support whānau and bring forth the economic potential that holders strive for.