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Volume 11 – Issue 3 – August 2015 TOPICS IN FOCUS Child Hardship Euthanasia Has Budget 2015 Solved Child Poverty? The Consequences of Euthanasia Legislation Russell Wills 3 for Disabled People Budget 2015: the government’s welfare Wendi Wicks 38 policy, a positive view Changes in Urban and Environmental Bryce Wilkinson 8 Governance in Canterbury from 2010 to 2015: What Effect Will the 2015 Budget comparing Environment Canterbury and Have on Housing? Christchurch City Council Philippa Howden-Chapman, Kim O’Sullivan, Ann Brower and Ike Kleynbos 41 Sarah Bierre, Elinor Chisholm, Anna Hamer-Adams, So Near Yet So Far: implications of the Organised Jenny Ombler and Kate Amore 13 Crime and Anti-corruption Legislation Bill Reflections on the Budget 2015 Michael Macaulay and Robert Gregory 48 Child Hardship Package The Role Universities Can Play in Supporting Susan St John 20 the State Sector Aid in Dying in the High Court: Chris Whelan 56 Seales v Attorney General The Policy Worker and the Professor: Andrew Geddis 27 understanding how New Zealand policy Physician-assisted Dying workers utilise academic research Jack Havill 30 Karl Löfgren and Dona Cavagnoli 64 Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Research Note: a revised set of good or bad public policy? New Zealand wealth estimates John Kleinsman 34 Geoff Bertram 73 Editorial Note Poor Policy? This issue of Policy Quarterly gives particular attention to credit, the position of low-income families (whether in two policy issues that have figured prominently in recent receipt of benefits or market incomes) will deteriorate: Volume 11 – Issue 3 – August 2015 public debate in New Zealand: first, the problem of child over time, many such families will become worse off, both Policy Quarterly (PQ) is targeted at readers poverty and the government’s announcement of measures in real terms and relative to those on much higher incomes in the public sector, including politicians and to address this problem via a Child Hardship Package in the or receiving New Zealand superannuation. For the children their staff, public servants and a wide variety of 2015 Budget; and second, the ethics of active voluntary of the poor, this is not good news. professions, together with others interested in euthanasia (and the related subject of physician assisted Policy inconsistencies also abound. As mentioned, the public issues. Its length and style are intended suicide). In each case, there are four articles. Readers are Child Hardship Package contains no targets for reducing to make the journal accessible to busy readers. thus provided with different insights and perspectives child poverty. In some ways this is strange. After all, the The journal welcomes contributions of on two very different, yet equally complex and vitally government has announced specific medium-term targets, about 4,000 words, written on any topic important, policy issues. In addition, there are articles on under the Better Public Services initiative, for a range relating to governance, public policy and a range of other significant topics. of important social outcomes. Many of these outcomes management. Articles submitted will be The package of measures announced in the Budget to are closely related to child poverty. Such targets include reviewed by members of the journal’s Editorial assist low-income families is undoubtedly welcome. The cutting the incidence of rheumatic fever and the physical Board and/or by selected reviewers, depending additional financial assistance, to take effect in April 2016, abuse of children, improving infant immunization rates, on the topic. Although issues will not usually coupled with an increase in the value of targeted subsidies increasing participation rates in early childhood education have single themes, special issues may be for childcare, will bring much needed, albeit modest, relief and enhancing NCEA Level 2 pass rates. Why, then, the published from time to time on specific or to many struggling families. Other recent policy initiatives, reluctance to set clear medium-term or long-term goals for general themes, perhaps to mark significant for example in housing and health care, will also help. alleviating child poverty? events. In such cases, and on other occasions, Nevertheless, as highlighted by contributors to this But maybe change is on the horizon. In late September contributions may be invited from particular people. issue of Policy Quarterly, the Budget package is open 2015 world leaders will gather in New York for a high-level Subscriptions: The journal is available in PDF to a range of criticisms. It is largely short-term and ad plenary session of the General Assembly. Their purpose format on the Institute for Governance and hoc in nature. It lacks ambition. There is no long-term is to adopt the so-called Sustainable Development Goals Policy Studies (IGPS) website: http://igps. vision. There are no explicit targets, goals or performance (SDGs). These Goals have been patiently negotiated by the victoria.ac.nz/publications/publications/list/10. measures. international community over recent years and will replace Readers who wish to receive it by email should Surprisingly, the package provides the greatest the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which applied register as PQ subscribers [email protected]. relative benefit to small families, even though poverty to developing countries during 2000-15. This service is free. rates are higher for families with three or more children. There are 17 SDGs and numerous sub-goals; their For all subscription and membership Similarly, it maintains a family assistance regime which target date for realization is 2030. Unlike the MDGs, the enquiries please e-mail [email protected] or gives disproportionate financial help to families with SDGs apply to all countries, both developed and developing. post to Institute for Government and Policy teenagers, even though those with young children generally But they are aspirational rather than legally binding. Studies, P.O. Box 600, Wellington. have greater needs. Nevertheless, the first goal – and undoubtedly one of Electronic Access: The IGPS directs The package is also complex. It will be costly to the most important – is to ‘end poverty in all its forms interested individuals to its website: implement. It will add to compliance costs and transaction everywhere’. The goal includes various specific targets. www.igps.victoria.ac.nz where details of the costs. It complicates an already convoluted benefit system Currently these include: by 2030, to ‘eradicate extreme Institute’s publications and upcoming events and confusing regime of family tax credits. poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as can be found. Worse, the package will make relatively little difference people living on less than $1.25 a day’; and to ‘reduce at Permission: In the interest of promoting debate to rates of child poverty, whether measured on the basis of least by half the proportion of men, women and children of and wider dissemination, the IGPS encourages income or material hardship. For instance, according to all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to use of all or part of the papers appearing in a rough estimate by officials, the rate of severe material national definitions’. PQ, where there is no element of commercial hardship for children is likely to fall by around 1%, from Assuming New Zealand endorses the SDGs, it will gain. Appropriate acknowledgement of both about 10% (or 100,000 children) to about 9% (or 90,000). be making a public commitment to reduce poverty – author and source should be made in all cases. The IGPS retains copyright. Please direct Why will the package have such a minimal impact, not merely for children, but for all its citizens. While the requests for permission to reprint articles from despite being tightly targeted and ostensibly designed to target of cutting poverty rates by 50% (using various this publication to [email protected]. benefit the most deprived families? measures) by 2030 is not binding, it nevertheless reflects Co-Editors: Jonathan Boston and Bill Ryan First, it is limited both in scope and scale. For some the ambition of the international community. Interestingly, Editorial Board: Guy Beatson, David Bromell, families, the extra help will be little more than 50 cents per too, it is broadly in line with the recommendations of the Valentina Dinica, Don Gray, Gerald Minnee, day per person. Second, some of the additional financial Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty in New Mike Reid and Andrea Schollmann assistance will be lost via reductions in other forms of Zealand in 2012. ISSN: 2324-1098 (Print) targeted or conditional assistance (e.g. income-related Arguably, such a goal is achievable, at least for ISSN: 2324-1101 (Online) rents and Temporary Assistance Support payments). children. It would bring our rates of child poverty and Volume 11, Issue 3 – August 2015 Third, the package does nothing to rectify the lack of full material hardship close to those of Scandinavia. But Copy Editor: Rachel Barrowman annual indexation for certain forms of social assistance, securing it would require major policy changes and Design & Layout: Aleck Yee including the Accommodation Supplement. Fourth, the concerted effort. Is there the political will for such effort? Cover Photography & Design: Aleck Yee package raises the abatement rate for Working for Families Probably not. But it will be interesting to see how seriously Production: Alltex Design tax credits from 21.25%