Those of you who know me well, know I have a lot to say about New Zealand and where I would like it to go. However I have not always had time or found the words to articulate exactly what I wanted to in the time you had to listen, so very briefly, this is what I want I think Aotearoa New Zealand needs to do:
- Only allow property sales to permanent residents and citizens of New Zealand
- Clean up environment, with priority given to reducing ecological footprint, cleaner rivers and a maritime treaty on disposing waste at sea
- Investigate and establish nation wide biofuel programme if feasible
- Have a Defence Force that is balanced and well armed; all three branches need a combat component
- Restore Parliament to a bi-cameral arrangement with an upper house
- Have a binding referendum on whether or not New Zealand should adopt a formal constitution
- Review all terrorism suppression laws passed since 11 September 2001
- Entrench human rights, privacy and transparency laws with a minimum 66% or 75% majority of Parliament required to overturn them
- Review future of N.C.E.A. and National Standards and return to pre-N.C.E.A. format if not working
- Review future of District Health Boards – are they working or not
- Overhaul Ministry of Social Development and its umbrella agencies
- Give Parliament compulsory oversight of trade negotiations – N.Z. sovereignty NOT FOR SALE
- Diversify economy with priority for exports plus R&D
- Investigate feasibility of targetted sentencing for some criminal offences where prison might necessarily be the best answer – sentences specific to the nature of the crime
- Work towards reducing prison population to those who are a) two risky to release ever – murderers, rapists (anyone who cannot see the wrong in their offending) and b) those who have committed such grave offences as corporate fraud where jail is the only option
This is not an exhaustive list, but I think it gives a clear direction of where I would like to see New Zealand go. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me below. Keep it clean.
