MAYARI STUDIO
PILI
⏱️ 3-MIN DISCERNMENT

NZ Catholic Voter Discernment across 8 Core Catholic Social Teaching Pillars

Pillar 1 of 8

1. Protection of Human Life & Bioethics

Which policy orientation best matches your voting priority on life from conception to natural death?

Catholic Context: Human life is sacred from conception to natural death. Faithful civic engagement balances protection for unborn life alongside essential support for mothers, families, and vulnerable individuals.
Legislative & Conscience Protections Focus Prioritize passing explicit laws restricting abortion, repealing assisted dying, and protecting healthcare worker conscience exemptions.
Pragmatic & Supportive Care Focus Support MP conscience votes while focusing practically on expanding maternal health support, adoption pathways, and palliative care.
Consistent Ethic of Life Focus Treat bioethics equally alongside poverty eradication, housing dignity, anti-violence, and ending capital punishment globally.
Public Health & Conscience Integration Focus Ensure public healthcare funding covers maternal/fetal medicine and crisis support while maintaining medical conscience protections.
Civil Choice & Social Justice Focus Support legal bodily autonomy laws, focusing Catholic civic alignment primarily on social safety nets and economic equity.

2. Healthcare Access & Palliative Care

How should government structure healthcare funding, hospice care, and medical access?

Catholic Context: Healthcare is a basic human right necessary for human dignity. Catholic tradition strongly advocates expanding palliative care and hospices to relieve suffering near the end of life naturally.
Palliative Care Expansion & Conscience Exemption Significantly boost state funding for hospices and palliative care while protecting faith-based healthcare providers.
Universal Public Health & Free Access Fully state-fund universal public healthcare, free GP visits, free prescriptions, and mental health services across all communities.
Community & Non-Profit Care Devolment Devolve state health grants directly to local community trusts, hospices, and non-profit health providers.
Public-Private Partnership & Choice Utilize private surgical capacity and insurance incentives to reduce waiting lists alongside essential public hospital funding.
Personal Health Savings & Competition Promote individual health savings accounts, medical choice, and provider competition to drive healthcare efficiency.

3. Economic Justice & Poverty Alleviation

Which economic structure best serves human dignity, fair wages, and the common good?

Catholic Context: Economic systems must serve people, not vice-versa. While private property is legitimate, it is subordinate to the universal destination of goods created for the well-being of all humanity.
Structural Tax Reform & Wealth Policy Reform taxation (e.g., land value / wealth taxes or UBI) to redistribute economic gains and eliminate systemic poverty.
State Welfare & Worker Protections Increase social security benefit rates, strengthen living wages, and protect worker union bargaining rights.
Subsidiarity & Community-Led Welfare Devolve social support funding directly to iwi and local community providers (Whānau Ora) following local subsidiarity.
Balanced Fiscal Growth & Employment Incentives Combine targeted safety nets with lower middle-income tax burdens, business growth, and work incentives.
Free Market Enterprise & Voluntary Relief Prioritize low taxation, deregulation, market competition, and voluntary charitable relief over state welfare intervention.

4. Housing Dignity & Secure Shelter

What approach should government take to ensure adequate housing for all families?

Catholic Context: Housing is a vital foundation for family life and human dignity. Public policy must foster conditions that ensure safe, stable shelter is accessible to every household.
Direct State Social Housing Construction Fund large-scale direct state construction of public housing with rent controls and tenant security protections.
Community Housing Providers & Faith Trusts Partner with Community Housing Providers (CHPs), church trusts, and iwi through capital grants and operational subsidies.
First-Home Shared Equity & Deposit Assistance Focus government resources on shared equity schemes, rent-to-own programs, and targeted deposit grants for working families.
Planning Reform & Land Supply Unlocking Overhaul planning rules (Resource Management Act), speed up land development, and lower build costs to expand supply.
Market Incentives & Rental Investment Lower taxes on rental properties, restore interest deductibility, and encourage private landlords to increase rental stock.

5. Care for Creation (Kaitiakitanga)

How should New Zealand balance environmental protection, climate action, and resource stewardship?

Catholic Context: In Laudato Si', Pope Francis reminds us that caring for our common home is a moral obligation. Environmental damage disproportionately hurts the poor and future generations.
Binding Decarbonisation & Strict Regulation Rapidly phase out fossil fuels, enforce binding agricultural emissions targets, and strictly protect rivers and oceans.
Animal Ethics & Habitat Conservation Prioritize animal welfare standards, phase out intensive farming methods, and preserve indigenous species and habitats.
Circular Economy & Clean Tech Co-Investment Provide state co-funding for renewable energy infrastructure, waste reduction programs, and green technology adoption.
Pragmatic Transition for Rural Communities Support gradual emissions reductions while safeguarding agricultural productivity, export income, and rural livelihoods.
Market-Led Innovation & Property Rights Focus on technological adaptation, property rights, and private conservation offsets over government mandates or carbon taxes.

6. Family Life & Schooling Choice

How should state policy support families, faith-based schools, and parental guidance in education?

Catholic Context: Parents are the primary educators of their children. The Church supports educational freedom so families can choose schools reflecting their values, including state-integrated Catholic schools.
Catholic School Character & Educational Choice Protect state-integrated Catholic school character, support charter/partnership options, and defend traditional family values.
Direct Household Financial Relief Expand Working for Families tax credits, paid parental leave duration, and subsidized early childhood care.
Flexible Workplace Protections for Parents Mandate flexible working hours, extended paid family care leave, and workplace protections for parents of young children.
Local Community & School Governance Autonomy Empower local school boards and community trusts with direct funding autonomy over curriculum implementation.
Universal Secular Education & Civil Equity Focus state resources on universal secular public schools, modern family equity laws, and civil inclusion frameworks.

7. Law, Justice & Community Safety

What approach to crime, rehabilitation, and justice best reflects the common good?

Catholic Context: True justice balances public safety with restorative care. Church teaching encourages offender rehabilitation, addiction treatment, and addressing underlying social causes of crime.
Restorative Justice & Rehabilitation Focus Invest heavily in offender rehabilitation, addiction recovery, community-led prevention, and reducing prison populations.
Youth Crime Prevention & Community Outreach Fund early intervention programs for vulnerable youth, social worker outreach, and community safety groups.
Deterrence & Victim-Centered Protection Strengthen police resourcing, enforce stricter sentences for violent crime, and prioritize victim redress and safety.
Civil Liberties & Protection from State Overreach Focus on protecting individual civil liberties, medical freedoms, and limiting government regulatory powers.
Local Community Policing & Business Security Devolve policing strategies to local councils and encourage business wardens and community safety patrols.

8. Migration, Refugee Intake & Foreign Aid

What priority should New Zealand place on international solidarity and humanitarian intake?

Catholic Context: Gospel solidarity calls nations to welcome refugees fleeing danger and assist developing nations—especially our Pacific neighbors facing economic and climate challenges.
Expanded Refugee Quotas & Pacific Development Aid Increase Pacific foreign development aid, expand refugee intake quotas, and build compassionate residency pathways.
Pacific Climate Displacement & Family Visas Create dedicated humanitarian visa categories for Pacific climate displacement and streamline family reunification.
Balanced Skill-Tied Immigration System Maintain an orderly, regulated immigration system linked directly to workforce shortages while meeting existing quotas.
Infrastructure-Linked Immigration Controls Cap net migration until housing, healthcare, and transport infrastructure capacity catches up with population growth.
Domestic Citizen Focus & Border Control Prioritize domestic citizens first, tighten border controls, and reduce foreign aid spending.