Healthy Lives
Every child deserves a healthy life now and a healthy future to look forward to.

Children and young people’s health should be about living lives of wellness, rather than just an absence of illness. However, Māori, including tamariki Māori, experience inequities in health outcomes in almost every health statistic.

In 2022, the health system underwent the biggest reform in a generation. The establishment of Te Whatu Ora and Te Aka Whai Ora intend to embed equity at the centre of the health and disability system, improve equitable health outcomes for Māori, Pasifika, disabled peoples and other groups who have not traditionally been well-served by the health system, as well as streamline and improve accessibility to services across the country. However, it must be funded and supported to continue embedding into the new system.

This election, we encourage all New Zealanders to engage candidates with the following questions, then vote for those that answer YES!

1. Will you introduce more quit services and addiction support, particularly for young people, particularly wahine hapu?

2. Will you stop children and young people’s exposure to the targeted marketing of unhealthy foods, alcohol, prescriptive medicines and sugary drinks?

3. Will you increasing funding and support for community designed and led whanau/young people-centred health promotion initiatives and programmes?

4. Can you assure there will be more support for caregivers and community support providers working with children and young people who have mental health needs or disabilities?

5. Will you invest in innovative supported living options for families with members who have long-term health or mental health needs, so that the costs of 24/7 care is not their burden alone?

6. Will you remove the annual renewal fee for people relying on the Pharmacy card for long term prescriptive medicines?