Pine Party Social Development Plan
A balanced approach to social development (Komeily & Srinivasan, 2015), that the Pine Party will pursue, involves creating jobs to grow the economy, while targeting long-term issues including child poverty, housing and climate change. Securing and strengthening the economy means keeping people working, easing pressure of families, making communities safer, improving core services, and rebuilding and moving New Zealand forward.
1. Easing Pressure on Whanau
• Decrease doctors and any associated medical fees
• Decrease school fees by increasing funding for schools (Cheng et al., 2022)
Increased fundings involves free or discounted, healthy lunches and hygiene products
• For parents with newborns, we have created a New Start Payment that will provide a stimulating payment of $1000 to new parents for infant care costs
• Immediate relief for the global spike in petrol price will come with the temporary 30c per/litre reduction in fuel tax
• Road user charges
• Temporary half-price fees for public transport to support students and working individuals, as well as decrease the release of greenhouse gases that are causing climate change (Redman et al., 2013)
2. Economic Growth
• Prioritise education and skills with a system currently being formulated to ensure appropriate help is informed if a child or adolescent is not developing at their standard level
• Infrastructure will be considered in the long-term, and on a build when and where needed basis, rather than catch-up when the situation has escalated (Karasti et al., 2010)
• Any infrastructure investments will be planned thoroughly
- Construction of new rail workshops
- Nature jobs that enhance Aotearoa New Zealand’s biodiversity, that would also create employment opportunities
• On the technology, capital and innovation side, encourage businesses to invest in theirselves to drive technology adoption and remove barriers that could potentially be preventing small businesses from accessing capital and growing (Jelinek et al., 2014)
• Implementation of a Welcoming Productive Investment, that gives these businesses the tools they need to work more efficiency and effectively, including safely
• Globally, we will work on initiatives to show our beautiful Aotearoa New Zealand, that promote trade and attract people with quality skills and talent to interact and invest. This will make it easier for entrepreneurs to access global capital, expertise and ideas, that can take their businesses from New Zealand to the wider world (Souva et al., 2008).
3. Increasing Pay
We believe Kiwi’s deserve fair pay for their work, so lifting incomes is a primary goal for Pine.
• Increase to the minimum wage in April 2023 to $23 an hour
• Families package that will boost the household income for thousands across Aotearoa New Zealand (Dayioglu, 2016)
• Budget 2023 will also increase benefit rates for disability, parents and seniors.
Dealing with the living crisis will be targeted in a 5 point plan:
1. Refocusing banks on price stability and stopping inflation
2. Stopping unnecessary costs for businesses, employers and the economy
3. Reducing barriers holding productive growth back including the dependency crisis where more than 50,000 people stay on jobseeker benefits while job vacancies rise
4. Income relief for taxpayers by changes index tax brackets
5. Discipline of government spending to ensure effective use and better core public services in health, education and more
4. Job Support
In order to stimulate the economy we are dedicated to creating, promoting and protecting jobs.
• Provide free trades training and apprenticeships (Schmidt, 2010)
• Implement Internship and Apprenticeship Jump Schemes to provide Kiwi’s with any required skills and to pivot their careers
• For the general public, we will improve access to testing and training for driver licenses to remove barriers and open up job opportunities.
To aid the dependency crisis and 50,000 Kiwi’s on the jobseeker benefit, we have designed a system with a job coach (Blitz & Mechanic, 2006)
• Funded by the government to help youth (18 – 24) transition into work
• Proper assessment of barriers for each individual that ensure they will be supported and receive appropriate treatment
• Income Insurance Scheme would also be put in place to help individuals bounce back from job losses, and support them while they pursue employment.
5. Workers’ Rights
We believe worker’s in Aotearoa New Zealand should be appreciated and treated fairly by their employers
• Strengthen employment law to protect workers from any inequalities in the workplace, and migrants from being exploited
• Double mandatory sick leave entitlement, which is a must during the current Covid 19 pandemic
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