100 Ways Labour Has Delivered in the past Year

LabourVoices
labour.org.nz

It’s been just over a year since the last election – and we’re taking this opportunity to reflect on the past 12 months. Keeping New Zealanders safe from COVID-19 has remained a key focus. But we’ve also made strong progress on other long-term challenges, including housing, child poverty, and climate change.

Here are just 100 things we’ve delivered in the past 12 months to secure our recovery, improve the wellbeing of Kiwis, and tackle the big issues facing New Zealand.

We:

1. Got more people into jobs – with unemployment down to its lowest level on record, at 3.4% in the September quarter
2. Rolled out COVID vaccines to more than 3.7 million people – 89% of eligible Kiwis
3. Carefully managed the economy through the COVID-19 response to help keep our public debt levels lower than those of many countries we compare ourselves to
4. Recorded improvements across all nine child poverty measures
5. Increased main benefits by $20 per adult to help families put food on the table
6. Protected hundreds of thousands of jobs and helped businesses stay afloat through COVID with our wage subsidies
7. Trained thousands of vaccinators, ensuring capacity to deliver more than 130,000 doses in a single day
8. Supported more people into free vocational training and apprenticeships, with more than 170,000 people now having benefitted from the Targeted Training and Apprenticeships Fund
9. Created more than 4,600 environmental jobs in our regions through our Jobs for Nature programme
10. Committed to making the public sector carbon neutral by 2025 – a key part of our plan for a net zero carbon New Zealand by 2050
11. Expanded free lunches in schools, with the programme now reaching 130,000 students
12. Are doubling the Resurgence Support Payment to help businesses with fixed costs as we respond to COVID
13. Doubled minimum sick leave from five to 10 days per year, to help Kiwis and workplaces stay healthy
14. Invested in public transport, rail, cycleways and walking infrastructure to give Kiwis greener transport choices and help us reduce emissions
15. Are making Matariki a public holiday, which will first be celebrated on 24 June 2022
16. Secured a new free trade agreement with the UK, giving New Zealand exporters unprecedented access to the UK market
17. Worked to remove barriers for the construction sector, helping to reach a record high of more than 47,000 new homes consented in the year to September
18. Are providing first ever nationwide funding of mental health services for Rainbow young people to help improve mental health outcomes
19. Delivered more than 2,500 public and transitional homes, as part of our plan to deliver 18,000 extra places by 2024
20. Are working to level the playing field for first home buyers, by extending the bright-line test and closing a tax loophole that benefits property speculators
21. Expanded access to interest-free loans through the Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme, to help small businesses through the pandemic
22. Took the next steps on the Clean Car Import Standard, to prevent up to 3 million tonnes of emissions by 2040
23. Increased Superannuation and Veteran’s Pensions by 3.1%, to make life easier for 830,000 older Kiwis
24. Continued the Leave Support Scheme to assist anyone who has to self-isolate due to COVID-19
25. Boosted funding for Pharmac so more New Zealanders can access the medicines, treatments and medical devices they need
26. Are working to deliver lower credit and debit card fees for businesses
27. Introduced legislation to ban conversion practices, so nobody has to undergo this harmful ordeal
28. Implemented the Healthy Homes Standards that require all rentals to meet minimum standards so they’re safe, warm and dry
29. Cut red tape to boost housing supply, allowing three homes of up to three storeys to be built on most sites without resource consent
30. Expanded the Flexi-wage initiative, which has already supported nearly 8,000 Kiwis into work since February this year
31. Brought more than 117,000 people into New Zealand safely during the pandemic, through our MIQ facilities
32. Passed counterterrorism legislation to better protect New Zealanders from terrorist activity
33. Made sure people on a benefit who are working part time can keep more of what they earn, by lifting abatement thresholds
34. Completed more than 33,700 insulation and efficient heater installs through our Warmer Kiwi Homes programme – and boosted funding to provide 47,700 more
35. Backed Digital Boost, a new digital training, advice and support service that will help tens of thousands of small businesses take advantage of opportunities in e-commerce
36. Rolled out free period products to all primary, intermediate and secondary schools and kura, removing barriers to education for young people
37. Helped young people stay safe at festivals and events by legalising and funding drug-checking services
38. Continued upgrading schools and hospitals to ensure they run on clean energy by replacing coal boilers with clean alternatives
39. Introduced a Clean Car Discount, making it easier for Kiwi families to make the switch to low emissions vehicles
40. Launched the Housing Acceleration Fund to speed up the pace and scale of building
41. Kick-started a long overdue reform of New Zealand’s health system to ensure Kiwis can get the care they need, no matter where they live
42. Quadrupled funding to Green Investment Finance to back technology and innovation that will support a low carbon economy
43. Continued rebuilding our rundown hospitals and medical facilities so people can get modern, quality care
44. Are establishing a counterterrorism research centre to make our communities safer and protect against future threats
45. Supported more than 15,000 Kiwi businesses to keep and take on more than 37,000 apprentices through the Apprenticeship Boost payment
46. Lifted the minimum wage to $20 an hour
47. Supported more than 4,100 people at risk of long term unemployment into work and on-the-job training through Mana in Mahi
48. Took the next steps to tackle New Zealand’s waste problem by working to phase out hard to recycle items like plastic food and drink packaging and single use cutlery, plates and bowls
49. Are working to update curriculum content so that all students get the chance to learn New Zealand history in school
50. Established the Ministry of Ethnic Communities to ensure Aotearoa is a place where everyone feels safe, valued, and heard
51. Installed our 250th 4G mobile tower – helping regional businesses and communities stay connected
52. Continued upgrading schools and classrooms around the country, creating 9,144 more spaces for students just this year
53. Made going to school cheaper for more families, with additional schools opting into our donations scheme so parents don’t have to pay school donations
54. Supported nearly 1,000 rangatahi Maori into employment, education or training through He Poutama Rangatahi
55. Ensured better outcomes for New Zealanders with disabilities by announcing a new Ministry for Disabled People, which will join up support services
56. Delivered pay equity for teacher aides and progressed pay parity for early childhood education and care teachers
57. Continued rolling out learning support coordinators to more schools, to better support up to 300,000 Kiwi kids with diverse learning needs
58. Supported more than 11,000 people each month through our frontline mental health service in GP clinics
59. Installed new radiation machines in Christchurch and Palmerston North hospitals, with more in the pipeline, so people with cancer can more easily access lifesaving treatment
60. Are expanding our Mana Ake programme across New Zealand so more children can access mental health and wellbeing support at school
61. Increased opportunities for local councils to strengthen Maori representation at their decision-making tables
62. Boosted funding for cochlear implants for adults, to double the number of people who can access the life-changing device each year
63. Supported businesses to transition away from fossil fuels through the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) Fund
64. Are upgrading marae across the country, supporting jobs in our regions
65. Boosted funding for Whanau Ora to support more whanau in need
66. Increased the number of registered social workers to 10,000, so quality support is available to Kiwis who need it
67. Boosted funding for Maori trades and training, to get more than 500 more people into work and training opportunities
68. Are cutting costs for farmers and growers – and supported the transition to a greener agriculture sector – by investing in integrated farm planning
69. Started work to establish the Maori Health Authority to improve health outcomes for Maori and make our health system fairer
70. Prepared and released a draft replacement for the RMA, delivering on our promise to reform the current process because it takes too long, costs too much and doesn’t work
71. Backed innovation in our food and fibre sector by investing in projects like trialing biodegradable nappies made from New Zealand wool, finding sustainable pest management practices to produce food and wine, looking into leaf protein to help lower on-farm emissions, and more
72. Supported the global COVID response, providing vaccines, logistical support and funding across the Pacific – including a donation of 250,000 vaccine doses to Fiji
73. Removed barriers Maori landowners have faced for decades, unlocking the potential of Maori-owned land and enabling whanau to develop their land
74. Ramped up pest control efforts by backing hundreds of pest and weed prevention projects
75. Started the Te Huia commuter rail service to connect Waikato and Auckland
76. Made the largest investment in Maori housing in decades – a total of $380m over four years – ensuring more whanau can live in safe, healthy homes
77. Supported communities to lead whanau-centred, holistic services focused on preventing family violence and sexual violence, with a funding boost
78. Stepped up efforts to protect kauri from dieback and preserve this taonga for future generations, with a funding boost
79. Are setting up a new mental health and wellbeing support programme for Auckland businesses hit hard by the Delta outbreak
80. Delivered on our commitment to protect people in financial hardship from high-cost loans that could trap them in debt
81. Backed renewable energy solutions and reduced energy prices for Maori and public housing by funding, for instance, solar panels for more than 200 homes
82. Supported more people into study and training by extending the Training Incentive Allowance to higher-level courses
83. Delivered on our promise to better protect security guards’ pay and working conditions
84. Funded research into new ways to clean up our waterways without reducing productivity
85. Supported thousands of people into jobs in the primary sector, through the Opportunities Grow Here campaign
86. Reached an agreement on the future of Ihumatao
87. Ensured our primary industries have the people they need to get the job done by securing Pacific quarantine free travel arrangements for RSE workers
88. Expanded the Tupu Aotearoa programme, helping Pacific communities across Aotearoa develop skills and connect with local employers
89. Funded much-needed infrastructure upgrades for our Maori boarding schools, to recognise their important role and ensure tamariki and rangatahi can learn in safe, modern environments
90. Extended our business debt hibernation scheme to give companies hit hard by COVID some breathing room
91. Expanded the Small Business Loan Scheme, to help vulnerable but viable businesses with ongoing cashflow issues
92. Started work to upgrade and safeguard our water infrastructure, to keep our drinking water safe and beaches clean
93. Expanded the Pregnancy and Parenting Programme to offer support to more mums and whanau grappling with addiction issues
94. Delivered on our commitment to back Kiwi research and development innovators and entrepreneurs with a substantial funding boost
95. Declared a climate emergency to accelerate efforts to reduce our emissions
96. Announced an independent review into Pharmac, to look at things like timeliness and transparency in the purchasing of medicines
97. Boosted funding for Youthline, increasing the mental health support available to our rangatahi and tamariki
98. Partnered with our regions to boost their economic development, with $200 million seed funding made available
99. Supported transgender, non-binary and intersex New Zealanders by working to simplify the process to change their registered sex on birth certificates
100. Launched a market study to see whether Kiwis are getting a fair price for groceries – and to drive change, if not