About Value Your Vote
Welcome to Value Your Vote 2023
This is the sixth election for which we have provided this popular, family-focused voting resource.
We believe that the cost-of-living crisis, declining education standards and health services, increasing levels of violent crime and lawlessness, and concerns about the economy are all significant.
But focusing on these issues whilst ignoring important societal and moral values will actually make society’s present problems worse in the long term, not better.
Research overwhelmingly concludes that the strength of marriage and family, along with respect for life and the protection of our most vulnerable, has a major impact on the strength of a nation: lowering the rates of child poverty, domestic violence, child abuse, crime, imprisonment and the costs of welfare - and improving mental health and overall well-being, producing an ordered, civil society.
Legislative change
Over the past two decades, there have been a number of law changes voted on by our politicians which have specifically impacted the moral fabric of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Marriage has been increasingly devalued, along with the vital role of parents.
The respect for life – especially for our unborn children and vulnerable elderly – has never been more at risk.
A new cultural ‘religion’ is being forced on families, and the values which have underpinned our country for centuries are slowly but surely being eroded.
We need a voice for social conservatives
Currently, apart from a handful of MPs, the House of Representatives fails to represent the voice of social conservatives. Parliament has gradually become more and more socially liberal – even amongst the so-called centre-right parties. A Parliament which unanimously votes to allow gender on a birth certificate to be based on self-identity proves just how liberal the institution has become.
Ironically, political leaders who can’t even define what a woman is – a simple biological fact – then want to censor ‘disinformation’ and ‘misinformation’ online!
New Zealand desperately needs more social conservative voices. We need politicians in Parliament who will speak boldly and unapologetically for the unborn child; who will oppose radical sexuality and gender ideology, divisive critical theory, and climate alarmism targeted at young children; and protect vulnerable young people from the chemicalisation and castration of healthy bodies.
We need political leaders who will promote and protect the institution of marriage; who will respect the role of parents rather than attempt to exclude them from important issues such as abortion and gender dysphoria; politicians who will protect the elderly and vulnerable from seeing assisted suicide as a solution.
We need political leaders who will seek to protect our communities from drug use and normalisation. We need political parties which will respect freedom of conscience for New Zealanders who oppose compulsory vaccination and other health-related mandates. We need parties which will protect freedom: religious freedom and free speech, amongst others.
The question to consider before you vote
Here’s a fundamental point we believe you must consider as you prepare to vote:
If a political candidate will not recognise the inherent right to life of an unborn human being, and if they cannot accept the biological reality of a person’s sex at birth, why would we trust them with the many other important issues on which they will have to make decisions affecting the nation?
We believe biological truth and the right to life are foundational issues. Every other issue - housing, poverty, cost of living, mental health, education, care of the elderly and vulnerable, etc - rests on being alive first of all, and on the reality of being created male and female.
We must elect leaders willing to protect life and truth.
This website (and the accompanying printed guide) allows you to see how each current or past MP seeking re-election has voted on important social issues. Many of them are conscience votes, allowing an MP to vote according to his or her conscience rather than along party lines. However, in many cases, there seems to be a ‘party conscience’.
Each party leader has also been sent a questionnaire asking for his or her opinion on a number of important social issues. In some cases, they have sadly refused to answer the survey and we have recorded their responses based on voting record or public statements.
The greatest freedom and privilege
Voting according to our values is the greatest freedom and privilege we have. We should value it — and use it.
Please note that Family First New Zealand does not endorse or oppose candidates or parties for elective office. This record should not take the place of your own effort to evaluate parties and candidates. We would encourage all voters to make informed decisions on party policies across key issues important to you.
We are pleased to offer this guide as a helpful resource to aid you in making an informed decision when you vote this October.
Historic Value Your Vote Archive
Want to delve into previous candidates during previous election years? Check out the download section below to access previous versions of the Value Your Vote booklet.