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# Family as Our Foundation
- URL: https://goodoil.news/family-as-our-foundation/
- Published: 2021-08-13T20:30:00.000Z
- Updated: 2021-08-13T11:55:15.000Z
- Author: Guest Post
- Tags: NZ, NZ Politics, Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-17 01:54

**Helen Houghton**  
New Conservative  
Spokeswoman for Education and Family

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When will we put the needs of our children first and provide the support parents need? Who is representing our families in Parliament? They refuse to consider that every decision, every bill they pass affects our families.

Children have a fundamental right to a mother and a father; however, no one in parliament is talking about **the fatherless generation**. From a child’s point of view, according to a growing body of social research, the most supportive household is one with two biological parents in a healthy, stable marriage. Children raised in such a family structure enjoy better physical, cognitive, and emotional outcomes on average than children who are raised in other circumstances.

No one is the winner in a broken family. And everyone pays for broken families. The consequences of this breakdown weigh heavily on our social structures, our housing, economics, social supports, mental health, education, and the children themselves.

New Conservative values marriage, values family and understands the long-term benefits for themselves and for society at large. We value New Zealand.

We believe in rewarding families. Rewarding couples to work and build strong families. We believe that at the same time, and wherever possible, we need to assist and strengthen families that for whatever reason have failed to remain together. The health and well being of children is at stake.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f4/31f4e20a-0315-499e-83ff-139e8eab53bf/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/family.png)

> We must empower and equip parents by restoring their authority, dignity and responsibility as parents. The state is not the authoritative body in our families; parents are.

Statistics are high for youth mental health, drugs, and alcohol services such as CAFS, and truancy is at an all-time high with 35% of children not attending school regularly.

Our education standards have lowered, and we must refocus attention on providing wholesome relationship education, so our young people know what it takes to build and commit to marriage and to family for a prosperous future.

Our vision and goals for the nation should have family as a priority.

**Please share so others can discover *The BFD.***