Being Different Is The Name of the Game in MMP

The news this week featured United Future's decision to go with National. This alignment with one major party pre-election is risky but it helps clarify the position for voters.

During the six years it has worked with Labour United Future can chalk up at least six key policy gains:

a government Discussion Paper on Income Splitting;

central government funding for Transmission Gully;

an extension of daylight saving;

tax cuts for companies;

removing the cap on tax rebates for donations to charities; and

ensuring that people in Kiwisaver can divert 50% of their contributions to their mortgage.

These are significant policy wins for a small centre party which won only 3 seats in Parliament at the 2005 election. In 2008 United Future could be expected to highlight those aspects of its policy programme which distinguish it from the other parties. Otherwise liberal/centrist National-leaning voters will have no reason to vote United when they could vote directly for National (or Labour).

Policies such as support for parents of children with disabilities, extending ECE funding to Playcentres, Income Splitting, respect for the Treaty of Waitangi partnership, ensuring that National sticks to its policies on issues such as a nuclear-free NZ and blocking any backtracks on asset sales, in the first term of any new centre-right government, could all form part of a core policy offering that demonstrates extra value not available from other parties.

In 2008, at a time when small parties have a declining share of the political market, voters are unlikely to vote for a minor party unless they think it adds value to what their preferred major party would otherwise do. In opting to align with National United Future must figure out what distinct policy positions it will highlight to draw centrist voters that might otherwise sit on the Right of Labour or on the Left of National. It's called differentiation and in MMP it's the name of the game.


Disclaimer: In a personal capacity the writer was a former Board member of United Future from late 2003 until early 2006.

Playcentres Are Grossly Underfunded

Playcentres are being grossly underfunded. That's the finding of a new report released last week. The report, prepared by Woodhams Research Associates, found that government funding was substantially lower than required for Playcentre to be sustainable due to a systematic discounting on Playcentre costs. It also found that parents are frustrated by the need to waste their time on Ministry of Education red tape rather than providing the programme for their children.

The New Zealand Playcentre Federation said the report highlighted how the government has undermined parents wanting to educate their own children.

Political reaction has been swift with National promising to incorporate Playcentre within the free early childhood funding model and United Future urging action to support Playcentre http://www.unitedfuture.org.nz/default,995,playcentres_being_systematically_under-funded.sm

"We have been trying for years to get the government to recognise the stress they have been putting Playcentre under. Now we have documented evidence of their systematic underfunding" said Playcentre Federation President, Marion Pilkington.

Key findings in the report include:

* The Ministry of Education appears to have ignored 31% of Playcentre costs when calculating funding rates;

* There is no adequate argument for excluding Playcentre from the 20 hours free ECE policy;

* Playcentre members, at centre and association level, have to volunteer for over 2000 hours per year for each centre on activities other than running the educational programme.

* Government policies have discriminated against parent provision of ECE.

"We have always known that Playcentre provides high quality education for our children" said Mrs Pilkington. "The report shows how the Playcentre model of education matches the best international research on high quality outcomes for children and their families as well."

Rural Playcentres often form community hubs and meeting points, especially after the closure of small schools and services such as post offices. It is in the interest of all communities to see that the Playcentre model remains healthy and viable.

"Playcentre calls on all political parties to support our drive for fair funding, effective structural support and reduced bureaucratic red tape" said Marion Pilkington.

The full report is published at www.playcentre.org.nz