Boot Camps Won’t Work, our Boot Farms Will
The Conservative Party applauds the National Party for seeking solutions that will address youth crime. We are in
agreement that Youth Crime is a serious epidemic that needs to be addressed.
While we see positives in this policy, ultimately we do not believe that they would in fact reform troubled youth. Our
Boot Farm policy was created with input from frontline youth workers. The farms will ensure that youth are not only held
accountable for their actions, they will have multiple opportunities for rehabilitation and addressing issues such as
addictions, self esteem, and breaking generational cycles of crime. More often than not, it’s not bad kids, it’s bad
parenting.
The Conservative Party also applauds the inclusion of parenting support and education for parents who are having
difficulty with their children. We are saddened that for too long successive governments have not supported the natural
family unit as they should have, and we are reaping the consequences of that failure.
We need dependable parents, not dependent parents, and the government can’t raise our kids. It can, however, and should,
support local community groups who have a track record of effectively assisting parents who are struggling, and
struggling parents should be given every encouragement to avail themselves of that assistance.
Research is clear that strong loving families with a mum and a dad provide the best outcomes for kids and the best
outcomes for society. Conservative Party’s Policies are focused on strengthening this natural family unit for the good
of the nation. Our BOOT Farm Policy can be found at http://www.conservativeparty.org.nz/index.php/policy/youth-boot-farms-policy/