New Zealand First is holding its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Hamilton this weekend, a gathering its leader Winston Peters says is one of its biggest in a long time.
It’s a chance for the caucus and wider membership to meet face to face, but also to consider policy remits.
Those remits will be subject to debate among members, and being on the list does not necessarily mean they will become adopted New Zealand First policy.
Each policy idea will have an opening statement and a rebuttal, each with a two-minute time limit. A motion to accept the remit will then be called. Voting will be conducted by voice, with a show of hands as a backup if voice voting is not clear.
Ahead of the conference’s caucus update, MP Mark Patterson told those gathered policy had come through AGM remits and members should be assured of the influence they could have through them.
The policy remits New Zealand First is considering at this year’s AGM are below.
They are repeated word for word.
That New Zealand First:
1. Investigates the removal of Year 13 from Secondary School and implementation of 1-year ECE immediately prior to Primary School – in line with the Australian education model
2. Investigates introducing a windfall tax on unfair earnings of 50% in the banking, electricity, and grocery sectors
3. Investigates reform of the banking sector to increase competitiveness and to allow New Zealand owned banks to claw back ownership of banking deposits and assets
4. Investigates the development of a ‘New Zealand Future Fund’ of up to $100 billion to invest solely in a multi-decade infrastructure security and to enable future economic growth and social enablement
5. Considers restoration of local decision-making on chemical additions, such as chlorination or fluoridation, to drinking water by reinstituting local referendums
6. Investigates repealing of the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Act 2023
7. Investigates adopting a policy to deport those on migrant visas when they commit crimes, including migrant exploitation – mirroring Australia’s 501 policy
8. Investigates automatic name suppression for police officers pending a full inquiry into a fatal incident
9. Investigates the establishment of an Independent Judicial Rulings Authority
10. Considers a policy that DOCs concessions should not be subject to an iwi veto
11. Investigates legislation for greater ratepayer control over local authorities by ensuring local binding polls are held to gain approval for any major non-essential capital expenditure greater than $10 million
12. Investigates improving greater flexibility for relief teachers by providing an option of single-year registrations instead of the current mandatory three-year
13. Considers a policy that the important national railway system is always connected with at least two rail-enabled interisland ferries between North and South Islands
14. Investigates the establishment of Special Economic Zones in New Zealand
15. Reviews reinstating the Lower Daily Fixed Charge for electricity users
16. Introduces a sustainable immigration policy focusing on immigration levels of required new skilled and productive migrants per year as reflected in the OECD reports over recent years
17. Consider introducing legislation that ensures police ration numbers are to be no less than 1:500 to ensure police numbers are maintained on the frontline by law across governments
18. Investigates introducing a 50% royalty on the extractive sector, half of which is paid to local government of the extracted source’s origin
19. Investigates expanding the current opt-in NZ Internet Filter, which blocks digital child exploitation content to include terrorist content
20. Investigates developing a long-term military and foreign policy focus that enables the NZ Defence Force to better support our region (New Zealand and the Pacific), including a greater ability to respond to natural disasters
21. Considers reforming local government processes to eliminate fraudulent voting
22. Considers a review of local body boundaries with a view of amalgamating small local government areas into territorial authorities
23. Investigates the introduction of a national food security plan
24. Consider legislation that would ensure New Zealand citizens are prioritised in the queue for social housing and social services ahead of non-citizens
25. Investigates introducing a minimum age limit of 16 years old for use of social media in New Zealand
26. Heritage buildings –
a) Consider legislating that it will be a criminal offence liable to imprisonment for everyone who intentionally vandalises any place or object registered as an historic place, historic area, wahi tapu, or wahi tapu area under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014
b) Investigates the retention of New Zealand’s build heritage by advocating and legislating for changes to the existing laws so as to provide for greater and more effective heritage protection and greater heritage funding
27. Investigates a policy to provide income tax offsets (deductibility) for private healthcare premiums
28. Charities –
a) Investigates policy so retained profits of Registered Charities operating a business be subjected to tax just as any other business
b) Considers a review of the regulation of Charitable Trusts in receipt of public money to ensure that funds received are spent for the purpose given
c) Investigates a review of the Charities Act 2005 with a view of improving the accountability of receipt of public money, the application of profit to charitable purpose, and provide the Charities Board more certainty over the definition of charitable purpose
29. Investigates amending the New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Act 2001 to ensure that a fixed percentage of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund’s future investments is invested into New Zealand-owned investments
30. Considers a policy that ensures infill housing developments have the infrastructure that is sufficient to service them
31. Investigates increasing the payment for parental leave from $750 to $1000
32. Investigates introducing a temporary stock throughput quota management system to allow for managed restructuring
33. Investigates expanding free hearing devices to all persons under 21 who suffer from hearing difficulties
34. Investigates allocation of at least 50% of the new revenue from the Digital Services Tax Bill to prosecution, safety and harm reduction activities related to the unintended consequences of digital services
35. Investigates aligning New Zealand’s parliamentary petition processes with that of the UK, which includes minimum signatory thresholds to trigger an official government response or parliamentary debate
36. Investigates the restructuring of the timing of school day to maximise the use of state schools by primary and secondary sectors using the same facilities – juniors would attend between 8am and 1pm, seniors between 11am and 4pm
37. Investigates subsidies for private home installation of solar panels for all New Zealanders
38. Considers a policy of automatic name suppression in criminal trials, which can only be overturned by the court in exceptional circumstances
39. Investigates the introduction of legislation that bans street begging
40. Considers a review of the rating formula for residential homes based on square meterage
41. Investigates adopting a policy to introduce preferential voting for both local and central government elections
42. Investigates the establishment of a Commissioner for Extreme Risks in order to publicly address, explore and facilitate the enhancement of New Zealand’s resilience in the event of an international catastrophe
