The Family Party affirms the separation of church and state and freedom of religious choice and expression. However, we deeply value New Zealand's significant Christian heritage that is woven through our social, political and constitutional arrangements. Indeed, the freedoms our nation enjoys today are owed to our Christian founding values. The Family Party honours those values and wants to ensure they are passed down to future generations. Sadly, the Labour party has different ideas.

On 29th May 2007 at Waitangi, the birthplace of our nation, Prime Minister Helen Clark officiated an Asia-Pacific Inter-faith Forum with numerous officials from Asia-Pacific nations, including Australia, Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, Fiji, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

At this Forum our Prime Minister presented New Zealand as a religiously 'neutral' country to an international audience by way of a 'National Statement on Religious Diversity' which had been crafted as a guiding document for future reference on matters pertaining to nationhood and religion. The Statement declared...

"New Zealand has no official or established religion..."

...and amongst other things contended that schools should teach a diversity of religions. Of the eight principles contained in the National Statement on Religious Diversity, no reference whatsoever was made in the principles to New Zealand's significant Christian heritage (although there was a 'preamble' reference). Moreover, most of the principles outlined in the statement already existed in New Zealand law. Which begged the question, "why was such a statement necessary and what was the motivation behind it?"

With the Statement being adopted by the Labour-led Government (which was clearly its intention) those 'established' elements of Christianity that exist within our constitutional, political and social arrangements have no future basis to remain. Some examples include the Bible in our justice system, prayer in Parliament, Christmas and Easter holidays, our national anthem 'God defend New Zealand' and Civic Oaths that acknowledge a greater authority, to name but a few. (Not coincidently, only days after the summit at Waitangi concluded the Parliament Speaker proposed removing the prayer.)

Moreover, virtues and ethics based on Christian presumptions will come under even greater scrutiny. Examples include Christian traditions of truth and justice, rights balanced by responsibilities, the traditional family, the institution of marriage and parental rights. These will be politically challenged, rejected or redefined to conform to Labour's new political way of thinking that elevates the state above all else. Under Labour's tenure, this has already been achieved through laws that have substantially redefined the institution of marriage, undermined parental rights and increased state control in the lives of ordinary Kiwi families.

The Family Party will preserve and protect New Zealand's Christian heritage for future generations. This includes protecting established Christian concepts such as the rule of law, social justice, the traditional family and compassion for our communities.

Who was behind the Statement?

The Statement's architect, Professor Paul Morris (Advisor at the 2006 Labour Party Conference) said the idea of a National Statement on Religious Diversity would not originate with Government. Strangely then, the key agencies underwriting the initiative happened to be the Ministry of Social Development, one of New Zealand's largest Government departments under the direction of Hon. David Benson Pope (Sponsor of the Civil Union Act), and the Human Rights Commission, governed by the Ministry of Justice. It is timely to be reminded of this statement by senior Labour MP and party whip Tim Barnett who said their goal was to...

"...Pioneer a new 21st century expression of commitment free from traditional or religious presumptions..."

This goal is entirely consistent with the first principle of the National Statement on Religious Diversity, which stated, "New Zealand has no official or established religion." Barnett and his colleagues have already achieved a fair level of success by severing New Zealand's constitutional ties with London's Privy Council and redefining through law traditional religious presumptions such as male/female marriage and the role of parents in the home.

Footnote: The Family Party affirms separation of church and state and the freedom of religious choice. However, the Party believes that the Christian concepts of the intergenerational family, the institution of marriage, parent rights and responsibilities, social justice and the rule of law need to be preserved to ensure our children inherit a free, just and prosperous society.