I just had a read of the next lineup of political hopefuls, and if any one of them is successful, we are doomed!
At least 2 of them want to raise the minimum wage to $15. Brilliant (not!) Where do employers magically get that extra money from? To compensate for this they instantly put up their prices of course, so why not make it $100 an hour? It will have the same effect. Not only that, It will deter employees taking on unskilled workers, impacting on those who need jobs the most. Others talk about child poverty like its some communicable disease, whereas its created by irresponsible people having children they cannot afford to look after.
If you want to fix child poverty, then stop paying people to breed.
Try contraception - it's free - government funded - use it. Stop forcing responsible people to pay for children you cannot afford to look after. Not one candidate mentions personal responsibility, or protecting property rights - They all want to close the gap between rich and poor by making the rich 'poorer!” - not by making the poor 'richer!” A culture based on 'envy,” theft and re-distribution instead of work ethics, enterprise, and the right to keep and spend your money on things you value.
Try removing gst and making the first $50,000 people earn tax free. It is the height of stupidity to give your vote (permission) to people who do things you disagree with. I would not give my vote to one of them.

Graham Clark, Lower Kaimai.