Parliamentary Candidates & Youth Issues
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We asked local parliamentary candidates 5 questions mainly about youth issues. Here are their responses, as we received them:
Mary Ellen OConnor - Alliance
Sent: Monday, July 08, 2002 9:14 PM
Mental Health
1. How will you help to improve the mental health of young people in this region?
The Alliance is committed to the implementation of the Blueprint for Mental Health Services in New Zealand. An immediate and significant increase in funding for mental health services is needed..Gross underfunding has been identified as a primary cause of the difficulties facing mental health clients and staff. Well-funded early intervention services would go a long way to reducing the youth suicide and drug,problems we face with young people in Nelson. The establishment of certain appropriate and sensitive local facilities such as the Victory Health Centre and the One Stop Youth Shop would also act as preventive health care. And as a backdrop, we are fully committed to the Agenda for Children.
Youth and alcohol
2. What can you do to help minimise alcohol-related harm for young people in this region?
We will abolish tax deductibility for alcohol advertising. Funding will be increased so that sporting,,recreational and artistic activities will be able to replace their alcohol sponsorship with health sponsorship. Alcohol containers will be required to carry general health warnings. Funding for education programmes in schools will be increased.
In Nelson, we must bring pressure to make sure no more liquor retail outlets are established, there are already too many.
Student Loans
3. What is your view on the current student loans scheme?
Obviously it is a scandal and we must take steps to fix it
urgently..The average graduate debt of $21,000 is crippling individual students and society as a whole. The Alliance will fund a universal tertiary allowance and remove all tuition fees.The student loans scheme will be scrapped and we will set about writing off student debt. The cost of this is $1.1b but we must realise that the 2002 surplus was $2.3b and the 2003 surplus projected to be $2.2b.
Addressing this is our priority.
Labour says we must grow the economy before we can fund tertiary education, Alliance says we must invest in tertiary education before we can grow the economy.
'Boy Racers'
4. What ways of working will you pursue on the 'boy racer' issue?
Hasn't some tough legislation just been introduced allowing police to confiscate cars??? (based on the New South Wales Law) I would support that wholeheartedly and also watch with interest the experiments being conducted elsewhere with dedicated drag strips.
Environment
5. What are the most pressing environmental issues facing this region and what will you do to address them?
I think the smog in the Victory Area is the most pressing environmental/health issue and I would be urging the Council to do all in their power to deal with this including going very slow on the southern link project. I also think that logging trucks in our residential areas pose a safety hazard and a noise problem and I've already done everything I can to address this including holding very public, very well -advertised meetings that very few people attend.
Adrian Bayly - Jim Anderton's Progressive Coalition
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 3:19 AM
Mental Health:
The Jim Anderton Progressive Coalition, if returned to Coalition Government with Labour after the 27th of July will look to improving quality and availability of Mental Health care. It is felt that community care in mental health is not enough just on its own. The answer lies in a balance between community care and institutional care, and in the growth and development of a skilled work force able to cope with this area of health.
Youth and Alcohol:
We will review the recent liberalisation of alcohol availability as part of a comprehensive strategy to deal with alcohol misuse and abuse, and the need for further resources in educating school children in the risks associated with alcohol. We will develop tighter restrictions on alcohol advertising to ensure that excessive and underage drinking is not encouraged. We will consult with health professionals to evaluate alcohol containers being required to carry health warnings.
Student Loans:
If we are returned to government after the 27th of July, we will press for the Student loan scheme to be progressively abolished and the interest rate on remaining loans reduced in real terms over time. We want to see the threshold for paying back loans progressively raised so that low income workers are not penalised for entering tertiary education. Universal Allowances will probably replace Student loans.
The student loan debt has reached $5 billion and must be stopped as these loans have become like credit cards - a desire to spend on more than education.
Boy Racers:
We do not have a policy on this, but I would say that Police and the local City Council should set an area aside outside the city to do drag racing. This has been done by other local bodies in Auckland and Christchurch. For those who still want to do it in the early hours of the morning police should be patrolling to catch them.
Environment:
I believe the Nelson region needs to have better water quality, needs to replace the sewerage ponding systems at Best Island and Atawhai. Also we need to preserve the three National Parks in the region. I am against a road thru Kahurangi Park between Karamea and Collingwood.
Also I believe moratoriums on Genetic Engineering and new marine farms should be retained till research has been done done and coastal usage is resolved. I support the Nelson City Council's plan on a water treatment plant. I believe the N.C.C. should look at a millyscreen sewer plant to replace the ponds and the smell and overload they produced. The Government I believe should assist the Council with funding the water and sewer plants.
Hon. Dr. Nick Smith - MP Nelson
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 5:59 PM
Mental Health
1. How will you help to improve the mental health of young people in this region?
The mental health services for young people in the region are quite inadequate. Nelson has struggled to attract and keep skilled health professionals. The key is resourcing and access. The service needs better funding. It also needs to be made more accessible for young people by working more closely with schools.
In 2001, I organised a forum on youth suicide and have followed up on its recommendations. I also am a strong advocate of social workers in schools to try and provide better support for young people.
Youth and alcohol
2. What can you do to help minimise alcohol-related harm for young people in this region?
Our alcohol laws need to be improved. Proposals I wish to see advanced are those that enable Council's to specify areas as alcohol free and better enforcement laws to ensure alcohol is not provided to under 18 year olds.
I also want to see an improvement in alcohol and drug education in schools and more effective services for young people from the Nelson Alcohol and Drug Clinic.
Student Loans
3. What is your view on the current student loans scheme?
The Student Loan Scheme is not sustainable in its current form. Debt has increased from $3 billion to $5 billion under Labour. National's proposals to improve the scheme include increasing the Bursaries from $200 to $2000 for A Bursary and $100 to $1000 for B Bursary to encourage excellence at school. Our "You Stay We Pay" policy will write off 10% per year off student debt for five years to encourage young people to stay and work in New Zealand.
'Boy Racers'
4. What ways of working will you pursue on the 'boy racer' issue?
This problem has a three prong approach. Firstly the law needs to be toughened to allow instant confiscation of cars when used irresponsibly in boy racer type activity. I have organised a local petition to help achieve this. Secondly, Police need to work with Council on better design of public places to make them less attractive to boy racers. Thirdly, we need to encourage the young people concerned who have a passion for cars to join a responsible raceway so they can responsibly enjoy their motor vehicles.
Environment
5. What are the most pressing environmental issues facing this region and what will you do to address them?
Water and air quality are important issues. I have worked with Council to encourage them to provide improved water and this project is well underway. Air quality is the next challenge. We need better fuel standards. Vehicles should have their emissions tested at the time of warrant of fitness. We also need to provide support and incentives for people to convert to cleaner heating technologies in their homes.
Other environment issues include the cleaning up of the Mapua Chemical Site, the new Nelson North Marine Reserve and the Mainland Island project up the Brook.
Dennis Wells
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 11:34 PM
Mental Health
1. How will you help to improve the mental health of young people in this region?
Two main points:
a. We have a severely under funded Mental Health Commission. As a first step we would have them create a long-term strategic plan that recognises the real cost and effect of mental health then ensure it is fully funded. Coupled with health clinics in schools where medical and counselling professionals can provide specialist services and support young people in need.
b. Absolutely oppose the decriminalisation of cannabis. We need to spend considerable time and energy publically explaining the adverse effects of this, and other drugs, on maturing brains.
Youth and Alcohol
2. What can you do to help minimise alcohol-related harm for young people in this region?
When you look at countries like Italy, Spain, or France, where there is no law regarding age restrictions on the consumption of alcohol you really have to think where we go wrong here. They also have problems with young people and drinking but not anywhere near the same extent as we do. We have managed to shift public attitudes, over the last 10 or so years, on drink driving so maybe it is a similar change needed for attitudes towards alcohol. We can use measures as outlined for the previous answer coupled with a shift in attitude regarding parents and their responsibility. As difficult as this may seem, as most parents were also in the same at-risk category as their children are now when they were growing up, this problem will not abate until we all take a much more informed viewpoint on alcohol with a common understanding of the difference between mild enjoyment and binge drinking. Education and parental responsibility will be needed to change all our attitudes over time. If we are to stay with the current laws then there also has to be better enforcement. Perhaps an attitude changing measure could start where we have had some success already with a move to a zero-alcohol tolerance for all drivers under 25.
Student Loans
3. What is your view on the current student loans scheme?
The student loan scheme is, at present unfairly weighted to children of wealthy parents and a Government blinded by a cost-recovery mentality. We would cap the fees component at 20% of course costs and reduce the age limit on assessment of parental income to 20 replacing that component with student allowances. We would also peg any interest rate to the rate of inflation.
Boy Racers
4. What ways of working will you pursue on the boy racer issue?
Education, education, education coupled with enforcement. The fact that this is a problem now is the fact that the risk of detection/punishment is so slight as to be laughable.
Environment
5. What are the most pressing environmental issues facing this region and what will you do to address them?
Water quality, air pollution, traffic congestion and beach erosion are some urgent issues. Past experience shows that local knowledge has been ignored by experts sometimes resulting in the tax/rate payer paying for unsolved problems. Clearly local knowledge combined with expert advice and commonsense will result in solving issues. Sometimes the cheapest way is not the best way and it can result in a far more espensive solution.
Procrastination of the issues will only result in stagnation - resulting in much larger issues in the long run.
Nick Barber - Christian Heritage Party
Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 10:00 AM
1. The focus of Christian Heritage policy is more help and less stress for families. This will flow on to improve mental health among young people.
2. Christian Heritage supports raising the drinking age back to 20.
3. Current student loan scheme should be phased out and replaced with a comprehensive bursary and scholarship system.
4. Resolve by joint involvement of police, councils, and affected community members.
5. Winter smoke pollution of Nelson air. Need subsidies to encourage people to cleaner forms of heating.
Mike Ward - Green Party
Sent: Friday, July 11, 1.07 PM
Mental Health
How will you help to improve the mental health of young people in this region?
Drastically improve the provision of primary health care for our young particularly in the mental health area. Ensure the appropriate funding of youth support services.
Ultimately the emotional and mental wellbeing of our young is dependent on the quality of family life and the expectations of society and the availability of employment and educational opportunities - all areas of Green concern and commitment.
Youth and Alcohol
What can you do to help minimise alcohol-related harm for young people in this region?
Enforce the current law on the sale of liquor to minors. End the hard sell on alcohol in the media.
Publicity / education campaigns to demystify the alcohol culture, and in the short term, patrols to keep our young people safe.
Student Loans
What is your view on the current student loans scheme?
It is unfair and a nonsense. The Greens would cap fees @ $1500 as a step towards phasing them out and provide for student allowances (non-means-tested) @ the (...?) of the unemployment benefit. Plus the provision of working off their debt by working in NZ in either a paid or voluntary capacity - one year of debt for one year of work.
'Boy Racers'
What ways of working will you pursue on the 'boy racer' issue?
Constant / regular communication with the boy racers particularly acknowledging leaders. My personal response is that while there should be zero tolerance for violent/criminal behaviour, most of these young people are behaving far more reasonably and our emphasis needs to be on keeping them and the community safe.
Environment
What are the most pressing environmental issues facing this region and what will you do to address them?
Transport - the development of a sustainable transport strategy that addresses the needs of all Nelson Tasman folk including those that don't drive.
Protecting the safety of our food by reducing our dependence on questionable technologies - GE & chemical agriculture and the development of organic alternatives.
Extension of the marine reserves and the controls on the extension of marine farming.
Visit the NZ Drug Foundation 2002 Election Survey