New Zealand is lucky to be a small country with an intimate community. No country has a better opportunity to be a land of healthy and thriving communities, but that isn’t the reality in many parts of the country.
A country with no shortage of space has a shortage of places to live. A country with thousands of schools has young people who believe their best prospects are in a gang. A generous welfare system has created dependency instead of self-reliance. Too often, health and mental healthcare don’t measure up to the standards of a first world country.
Healthy and thriving communities start with the right values. Personal responsibility has been forgotten in the rush to victimhood. Government policy has to start from the simple idea that people can, and must, make a difference in their own lives. The alternative is a race to the bottom.
Healthy and thriving communities are about making New Zealand a place where people feel safe, have opportunity, and care when they need it. The policies in this section are about how we deal with crime, dependency, and failed social services to deliver a better, more inclusive tomorrow.
ACT's Policies for Healthy and Thriving Communities:
- Our plan for mental health would make it easier to access proven mental health treatments.
- Our hospitals are run down and people are languishing on waiting lists. ACT has real, positive solutions to reform our healthcare system.
- Our plan for education would return choice to parents and excellence to the education system.
- ACT believes protecting the safety and property of its citizens is the government’s first and most important job. The rights of victims should trump the rights of criminals. Our plan for criminal justice puts victims first.