CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES
OF THE
THE KIWI PARTY.

1.0    PARTY NAME
The name of the Party shall be The Kiwi Party (“The Party”) or such other name as shall be substituted therefore by the Board of Management.

2.0    PARTY PRINCIPLES
All policies of the Party and all statements made and activities carried out by or in the name of the Party shall be based on the following Founding Principles and Values:

2.1    LIFE:
All human rights flow from the one fundamental right; the right to life. The human person has an inherent dignity and sanctity which is to be protected from its beginning before birth, until natural death.

2.2    FAMILY/WHANAU:
The family or whänau is the living cell of society. It is the most socially and economically effective way to care for, teach and encourage children, and for the members of society to care for each other. Parents have the primary responsibility for the education, training and wellbeing of their children. Further, where extended family members (especially grandparents) are accessible and willing, they should be encouraged to actively participate within the wider family or whänau. Legislation must encourage the maintenance of the family, not undermine it. Virtues such as self-control, self-sacrifice and justice are best learned early in life, in the family environment

2.3    MARRIAGE:
Marriage is a covenant recognised in law between a man and a woman. It is the best and most deliberate way of starting a new family that provides for the welfare of both partners and their children. It should therefore be recognised and promoted by the State.

2.4    FREEDOMS:
All citizens have the right of freedom of association, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly. It is the inherent right of all people to know and experience freedom of religion and belief - the right to hold a belief; the right to change one's religion or belief; the right to express one's religion or belief; and the right not to hold a belief.

2.5    RESPONSIBILITY:
The exercise of all freedoms must be within the framework of personal and social responsibility. New Zealanders have obligations to themselves, each other, their families, their communities and their nation. This flows from what is commonly called the golden rule, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and to love your neighbour as yourself.”

2.6    SOCIAL JUSTICE:
All Citizens have the right to negotiate to sell their labour for a fair income sufficient to adequately support themselves and their families. Those genuinely unable to work should be given the care and support that allows for their human dignity. Those left to care for and nurture children on their own should be provided support and assistance to enable the dignity, health and well being of themselves and their children. All children deserve to be given care, protection and the adequate necessities of life. All people receiving welfare support at the cost of the taxpayer have an obligation to be as self-supporting as their circumstances allow and to contribute back to society whatever they may be able to give.

2.7    PRIVATE PROPERTY:
The ownership of property, whether alone or in association with others, is foundational to a healthy economy. Therefore the State should encourage home ownership, foster savings and other forms of investment by all citizens as a contribution to self reliance, family stability and national sovereignty.

2.8    ENVIRONMENT:
All New Zealanders have a responsibility of guardianship to their natural environment. This includes the stewardship of resources and protection of flora and fauna. Government must promote the balanced use of natural resources in a sustainable manner and encourage ongoing investment in research and development because it is our technological improvements that ultimately enable us to minimize our impact on the environment as we extract and harvest resources to sustain and improve our way of life.

2.9    HEALTH:
Apart from life itself our health is perhaps our next most important gift and contributes significantly to the quality of our lives. Individuals must be encouraged and incentivised to take responsibility for their health through a healthy lifestyle, based on moderation in eating and drinking, attention to hygiene, supportive inter-personal relationships, and regular exercise as part of primary healthcare.  
A compassionate society should assist those who need the care provided by quality physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health services, including natural and traditional treatments provided by well trained nurses, doctors, dentists, pharmacists, counselors and other qualified health practitioners.

2.10    EDUCATION:
Every individual must be given equal opportunity to access every appropriate type of education, while recognizing that parents are first teachers and have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children, whether it be delivered in the home or in an educational establishment. All other people involved in a child’s education are to be encouraged to act in a locum tenens role, to positively support and complement the role of parents. The education of children is about intentionally helping them grow, be responsible, be independent, be purposeful, be active, be self disciplined and be free citizens of character and hope, to reach their full potential and become positive contributors to their communities. Learning and education are to be encouraged throughout a person’s entire life-time.

2.11    DEMOCRACY:
Democracy requires that the people have the opportunity to exercise political choice through free and fair elections. This right is served best by a responsible free Press. In a parliamentary democracy, the Government derives its authority and mandate from the people and therefore should seek the will of the electorate on important national issues through the use of referenda on a regular basis.

2.12    SEPARATION OF RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS AND THE STATE:
The work of the Government and the work of Religious Institutions are different domains, both of which aim, each in their own way, to advance the welfare of all people.  Government and Religious Institutions should therefore, whilst respecting and recognising their different roles, work together in upholding the freedom and responsibility of the citizen.

2.13    GOVERNMENT AS SERVANT:
The Government is appointed by the people to serve and guard their interests by promoting a just society for all its citizens. Its first responsibility therefore is to guard against its own potential abuse of powers by ensuring the separation and independence of the Judiciary, Legislature, and Executive. The government leads by setting regulations and standards, protecting the weak from the strong, those at risk, and all its citizens from domestic and international threats whether natural or otherwise. It has the right to impose taxes on its citizens to provide services and infrastructure for the common good of all that cannot be provided by civil society. Government should always strive to keep taxation as low as possible in acknowledgement that private spending, philanthropy and charitable activities are more efficient than Government bureaucracy.

2.14    LAW AND ORDER:
The key to maintaining law and order is to establish personal, family and corporate responsibility by ensuring all are held accountable for their actions. In upholding the legal framework for a just society, Government must ensure that those entrusted with judicial power in the courts are people of wisdom, experience and good character. The goal of all criminal judicial proceedings should be to find the truth to assist in appropriate sentencing. Since citizens give up the right to take the law into their own hands, it is essential that Government ensures that justice is not only done, but seen to be done. For property offences, law breakers must make restitution to their victims for losses suffered. In all cases, sentencing should ensure that the punishment adequately fits the crime and is concerned not only with punishment but also with restoration where possible.  Where the safety of society is at risk however, offenders must be incarcerated. In the pursuit of the rehabilitation of law breakers the State must not abrogate its responsibilities to protect society, nor fail to respect the rights and concerns of victims.

2.15    TE TIRITI O WAITANGI:
The keeping of our word is the foundation upon which we build a secure and just world. This includes the promises we adults make to children, commitments to our marriage partners, business arrangements, or our international treaty obligations. The ‘Treaty of Waitangi’ (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) should be recognised as a covenant and must be honoured by its partners, the Crown and Maori. The treaty acknowledges Tangata Whenua’s right to pursue their dreams and aspirations through their Tino Rangatiratanga as guaranteed in Article Two, under the sovereignty of the Crown. Every New Zealander is a beneficiary of this Treaty that has opened the way for us all to have equal citizenship.

2.16    CULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS:
New Zealand is becoming a nation of increasing ethnic and cultural backgrounds, having been established on a foundation of the immigration of people seeking a new beginning in a land of opportunity. It has served, and will continue to serve, as a nation of refuge.  The country can be strengthened by such diversity and also become a unique society built upon the mutual respect and equality of all those who have chosen to make New Zealand their home.

2.17    NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY:
New Zealand is an independent and sovereign nation. While maintaining its international obligations and recognised interdependence in the world of the 21st Century, New Zealand’s sovereignty must be preserved to maintain the liberty of New Zealand citizenship.

3.0    MISSION STATEMENT
The Party's mission shall be:

3.1 To be a political Party that will represent and promote policies based on the Party’s Founding Principles and Values.

3.2 To represent in Parliament and Government those values on behalf of all New Zealanders.

3.3 To ensure that the foundations of our Democracy are protected, strengthened and enhanced.

4.0    VISION STATEMENT

4.1 The Party's vision for New Zealand is for a strong and responsible nation, seeking peace, stability, justice, economic prosperity, safety and social harmony and in which, consistent with both the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 2004 Doha Declaration of the Family (Click here for the full text of Doha declaration) adopted by the United Nations:

4.1.1    Every person is recognised as having an inalienable equality of dignity and worth.

4.1.2    Every person is given the opportunity for individual learning, development and achievement.

4.1.3    The family/whänau, undergirded by the community, is recognised as the fundamental social unit of society in which individuals are cared for and encouraged. It is primarily in the family where our values are formed.

4.1.4    The role and importance of marriage as the foundation of strong and healthy families is recognised and supported by Government.

4.1.5    Communities endeavor to work for the common good in an environment of trust and social harmony, and care compassionately for the weak, the poor and those at risk.

4.1.6    The Government's role is to serve its citizens through principled leadership.

A copy of the full version of the Constitution is available to members on request