Our 2011 election manifesto - Labour Party

Zealanders, second-chance learners and new migrants, to access education where they
may otherwise have missed out.
With an ageing population, an expectation that a working life may be extended, and the
rapidly changing nature of the job scene, opportunities for adults to re-train and up-skill are
essential. The benefits from ACE are not just in re-skilling, but community cohesion as well
as health and social benefits.
Labour opposed the funding cuts that National has made to ACE and will make it a priority to
reverse them.
Labour will immediately restore $13 million cut from ACE funding to improve access
to adult and community education. Further funding will be restored over time as
resources permit.
For further information, see Labour‟s Tertiary Education policy.
Veterans Affairs
Veterans hold a special place in New Zealand society, and rightly so. Labour will continue to
honour our veteran community by ensuring that we provide them with the standard of care
and level of respect they deserve.
The Law Commission produced a report on 1 June 2010 that identified a number of
deficiencies with our current War Pensions Act. To date there has been no response from
the National Government.
Labour will issue a timely response to the Law Commission report and implement
that response by legislating.
The portability of the Veteran‟s Pension has been a vexed issue with the veteran community
for some time as it is linked to the conditions of National Superannuation. The purpose of the
Veteran‟s Pension is clearly different to National Superannuation.
Labour will untie the linkage between the two, ensuring that the Veteran‟s Pension
stands on its own criteria with specific rules for entitlements particular to the
Veteran‟s Pension and ensuring that it is portable.
When in office, Labour provided financial support to two of the three remaining veterans‟
homes, Monticello and Rannerdale, by way of loans with conditions. It is now apparent that
the requirements of this financial support are restricting the ability of these homes to provide
care in the long term for veterans.
Labour will work with both rest homes to explore all avenues to resolve this issue
favourably for both Rannerdale and Monticello Rest Homes.
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