New polling has found overwhelming public support (82%)
for a law requiring governments to consider the long-term
impacts of their decisions on future generations when they
develop laws and policies.
There was strong support
across the political spectrum, with 90% of Greens, 89% of
ACT, and 87% of NZ First voters supporting the idea of
politicians being legally required to consider the long-term
impacts of their decisions.
The polling, conducted by
Talbot Mills, was commissioned by the Wellbeing Economy Alliance
Aotearoa (WEAll Aotearoa) as part of their
rangatahi-led, non-partisan campaign Tomorrow
Together. The cornerstone of the campaign is a call for
a Future Generations Act for Aotearoa, inspired by the
successful Welsh
model.
18-year old Nate Wilbourne, Future
Generations Lead at WEAll Aotearoa, says the polling result
shows the public wants to see politicians required to
consider the impacts of today’s decisions on the generations
to come:
“This polling shows that Kiwis from across
the political spectrum want our politicians to be required
to make wise decisions for the long term. This is tradies,
retirees, students and small business owners saying that
politicians need to govern for a resilient, prosperous
future, not just the next three years.”
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“A Future
Generations Act is common sense and doable. Wales has had a
Future Generations Act since 2015, and Scotland, Australia
and Finland are following suit.”
“Every big issue
we’re grappling with right now – housing, climate,
unemployment, cost of living, infrastructure – all these
things are harder because we haven’t had strong enough
long-term thinking, or enough willingness to make decisions
that will take years to pay off. A Future Generations Act
would make intergenerational fairness a legal requirement
and in turn, push our leaders to plan for the
long-run.”
“We are calling for political parties to
work across the house to legislate a Future Generations
Act.”
Additional polling from WEAll Aotearoa found 71%
of New Zealanders believe that New Zealand’s economy is
working “poorly” or “very poorly” for young people.
As
Nate says, “This is what happens when we stop thinking about
the long-term. This tells us we need to change course and
start building an economy that works for people today and
generations to come.”
Tom Rutherford said: “As one of
Parliament’s youngest MPs, I’m conscious that many of the
decisions we make today will shape the New Zealand my
generation and future generations inherit. We need to ensure
long-term thinking is part of our decision-making,
particularly on issues that cannot be solved in a single
parliamentary term. I’m looking forward to contributing to a
conversation about how we can build a better future for all
New Zealanders.”
Arena Williams said: “Labour backs
young people and is focused on building an affordable future
here in Aotearoa with good jobs, healthcare when and where
you need it, and warm homes. We must keep involving young
people in politics and ensure their voices are included in
the decisions that affect their
lives.”
Notes:
About Nate
Wilbourne: Nate Wilbourne is the Future Generations
Lead at WEAll Aotearoa. Co-founder of Gen Z Aotearoa, he is
a Forbes 30 under 30 change maker, and a globally renowned
advocate for his work with young people, nature, and for
future generations.
About the Wellbeing
Economy Alliance Aotearoa: WEAll Aotearoa is one of
25 hubs that make up the global Wellbeing Economy Alliance.
We are a non-partisan and independent ‘think and do’
tank working to redesign Aotearoa New Zealand’s economy
around the wellbeing of our people and te taiao. We use an
evidence-informed approach and think upstream to develop
practical, long-term solutions for the public good. Through
building a new economic system we can address the root
causes of major challenges such as poverty, inequality,
climate change, and biodiversity loss.
About
the campaign: Tomorrow Together is WEAll
Aotearoa’s rangatahi-led campaign for a Future Generations
Act for Aotearoa New Zealand. It is grounded in the belief
that the choices we make today should ensure a thriving
future for generations to come. We want to build a
governance system that looks beyond short-term political
cycles and deeply invests in the future, for the wellbeing
of all of us. The campaign has been supported by the
youngest MPs from four different parties: Tom Rutherford
(National), Arena Williams (Labour), Tamatha Paul (Greens)
and Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke (Te Pāti Māori), as well as
Sir Geoffrey
Palmer, Christopher
Finlayson, and the late Jim
Bolger.
