WEAll Aotearoa welcomes the Opportunity Party’s
commitment to campaign for a Future Generations Act, joining
support from across the political spectrum.
“In an
election where parties disagree on plenty, there is
cross-party support for a Future Generations Act.” says
Gareth Hughes, Director of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance
Aotearoa.
“A Future Generations Act would require
the government to consider the long-term impact of their
decisions on future generations and work proactively to
prevent harm. It is inspired by the Welsh Act which set
seven goals for the nation, leading to significant, positive
policy changes.”
WEAll Aotearoa leads the campaign
for an Act, through Tomorrow
Together, a group of rangatahi
leaders.
18-year-old Nate Wilbourne, Future
Generations Lead at WEAll Aotearoa, says, “We’re
delighted by Opportunity’s backing. Our launch was
supported by the youngest MPs from National, Labour, the
Greens, and Te Pāti Māori, as well as former Prime
Ministers Jim Bolger and Sir Geoffrey Palmer. This is
something that resonates across the political
spectrum.”
Talbot
Mills polling in August 2026 found 82% public support
for a law requiring governments to consider long-term
impacts on future generations, including 90% of Green, 89%
of ACT and 87% of NZ First voters.
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Nate acknowledges
that “People across the political spectrum might have
different ideas about what good long-term decisions are, but
the strength of an act like this is that the goals
wouldn’t be set by any one party. They would come out of a
national conversation focused on finding common ground.
That’s how it worked in Wales, where ordinary people
helped shape seven wellbeing goals. That gave everyone
something to rally around, and it also gave people something
to hold politicians accountable to.”
Gareth adds,
“Our current system rewards short-term thinking, but an
act like this would give politicians a mandate to think
beyond the three-year cycle. Ultimately, this is about
strengthening our democracy and agreeing as a country on
where we want to go.”
Nate concludes, “We face
many challenges, from climate change and housing, to
infrastructure, and growing fiscal pressures. These issues
are interconnected, and the costs of failing to address them
today will increasingly fall on future generations. The
stakes are rising. We want all parties to commit to a Future
Generations Act before the
election.”
