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Gov't lays out plans for 2008

By Lawrence Johnston

HOUSING, social services, combatting crime and improving youth skills, are among the New Zealand government's priorities for this year.
In a statement to parliament last month, Prime Minister Helen Clark said the government's priorities would include easing pressures on household budgets and giving children the best possible start at school and for life.
The government was signalling major funding increases in the critical area of social services, a detailed plan to improve the supply of affordable housing, greater rights for victims of crime, new initiatives targeting youth crime, and a programme of action to improve the skills of young people.
Besides rolling out a programme of personal tax cuts in this year's Budget in May (see front page), the government would intervene early on health and behaviour issues through the B4 (four to five year-olds) School checks, and work on implementation of its plan to lift the age of participation in school or other forms of education to 18.
"Significant" funding increases would ensure that non-government organisations delivering essential services in areas such as parenting programmes, mentoring at-risk youth, in-family violence prevention, and victim support, were funded for the full cost of their contracted services. The government's new investment in these services would amount to NZ$446 million over the next four years.
A comprehensive plan to help families into home ownership by boosting the supply of affordable homes was being developed. It would include a review of public land holdings to see which areas could contribute to new urban housing projects and what form of partnerships between central, regional, local government and the private sector, could help deliver large scale urban housing projects.
The shared equity scheme targeted at new builds for first home owners would start in July.
The government would develop a Charter of Victim's Rights, and appoint an advisory board of eminent people to work with justice sector ministers to make the criminal justice system more effective. New government policy to deal with tagging (a graffiti-type nuisance) would also be announced.
For the past eight years the Labour-led government's top priorities had been to strengthen the economy and improve the living standards of families, Mrs Clark said.