19 Apr 2024
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Recognising that the first one thousand days of a child’s life is the most critical period in their development, National has committed to a raft of parent-and-child focused plans in its First 1000 Days policy, announced by National Party Leader Judith Collins and Social Investment Spokesperson Louise Upston.
You can read our 1,000 Days Plan Policy Factsheet here.
“The seven-part plan, which centres on National’s pioneering social investment approach, calls for greater and more targeted spending to create better human and economic returns in the long run and costs $226 million,” Ms Collins says.
“Studies have shown that countries that fail to invest in the wellbeing of women and children during this crucial time will suffer worse economic results in the future, through lower productivity and higher health costs.
“Our package will give parents control and choice over the type of support they receive, regardless of their situation or parenting experience.”
The First 1,000 Days package includes:
“National believes in empowering parents to make decisions about their children and their own wellbeing,” Ms Upston says.
“National’s bold plan would give parents commissioning power over the support they need, recognising the fact that a mother with her third child may need different services than a mother experiencing her first pregnancy.
“This new funding, allocated per child rather than directly to services, will mean that parental demand will determine which services receive how much of the additional money.
“However, organisations that are currently funded by the Government to provide services for the first 1,000 days would keep their existing baseline funding. Plunket, for example, will still receive its existing funding allocation of approximately $66 million per year.
“They would also be eligible to receive a share of National’s new funding, if that’s what New Zealand parents choose to do with their allocation,” Ms Collins says.
You can read our 1,000 Days Plan Policy Factsheet here.
19 Apr 2024
19 Apr 2024
19 Apr 2024
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