September 21, 2017
Mental health key election issue
Labour leader Jacinda Ardern says mental health has become the big issue to emerge from election campaign.
She says Maori candidates and MPs are hearing calls for help to lift Maori home ownership rates, better access to healthcare, and ensuring there are job opportunities, especially in the regions.
She says mental health has come up repeatedly.
"Everyone knows someone affected in some way so our view is there is more we can do. One of the reasons we don't think the top 10 percent of New Zealanders should get tax cuts is so we can put more resources into things like youth mental health. Mental health teams in every public secondary school in New Zealand, we know that would make a big difference," Ms Ardern says.
She is encouraging people to vote early, especially young people who can enrol and vote on the same day if they do it before Saturday.
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