10 July 2002

Progressive Coalition candidate, Matt Robson today launched the party’s over-arching youth strategy in a document titled Healthy Heads and Happy Hearts.

“The Progressive Coalition stands for early intervention because it’s the best way to keep kids healthy, safe in school and the home, and equip them for adult life.

“It’s an approach I have promoted in government to get to problem kids before they become tomorrow’s hardened criminals.

“This package shows how the early intervention approach also works in health, employment and education.”

We will:
§ Introduce free primary health care for all school children.
§ Get all under 20 year old New Zealanders off the dole and into education or training § Keep schools free of drugs.
§ Institute a safe sex campaign to reduce STDs and teenage pregnancies
§ Extend present health services in primary and secondary schools
§ Increase funding for youth suicide prevention
§ Review the recent liberalisation of alcohol availability.
§ Take steps to reduce the harm caused by tobacco products.
§ Introduce ‘One-Stop-Shops’ in all low-decile schools (police, social workers, and other professionals to be based on school premises)
§ Expand existing programs like Project Early and Family Start to support high-risk families and kids getting into trouble.

The Progressive Coalition has made the introduction of early intervention programmes to stop today’s kids becoming tomorrow’s criminals a top priority for achievement in coalition with Labour – in the same way that Kiwibank, paid parental leave and economic development were in the first term of the Clark-Anderton Government.

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