The Government is going all out to tick off all 17 goals on its 100-day plan.
A hundred days. Just over three months. It sounds like plenty of time until you blink and realise a month has passed since the Government was sworn in. They have until February 3.
The 100-day plan makes for a tidy way to keep an eye on the Government's progress, and it seemed popular with voters prior to the election. But it does mean the Government needs to move quickly and mistakes could be made in the rush toward the somewhat arbitrary, self-imposed deadline.
Some of the goals will reshape New Zealand, like paid parental leave, fee-free tertiary study and legalising access to medicinal cannabis.
Here's how the Government is tracking on its 100-day plan.
1. Make the first year of tertiary education or training fees free from January 1, 2018.
Done. Students will get their first year of fees fully subsidised in 2018.
2. Increase student allowances and living cost loans by $50 a week from January 1, 2018.
Done. Labour has officially announced the increase and doesn't need to pass any legislation to bring the changes into effect.
Government boosts student allowances and loans by $50/week
3. Pass the Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill, requiring all rentals to be warm and dry.
Done.
All rental properties will be required to meet minimum standards of ventilation, insulation, heating and moisture control. These standards will likely be set and enforced in the next 18 months.
4. Ban overseas speculators from buying existing houses.
Getting there. The Government has introduced its legislation to the House and it's passed its first reading.
5. Issue an instruction to Housing New Zealand to stop the state house sell-off.
Done. Housing Minister Phil Twyford announced a stop to the sale of state housing Wednesday 20 December - Parliament's last day sitting before Christmas.
6. Begin work to establish the Affordable Housing Authority and begin the KiwiBuild programme.
Announced. An interim KiwiBuild unit has been set up.
7. Legislate to pass the Families Package, including the Winter Fuel Payment, Best Start and increases to paid parental leave (PPL), to take effect on 1 July 2018.
Done. This passed under urgency on Friday 15 December.
8. Set up a ministerial Inquiry in order to fix our mental health crisis.
No announcements have been made, but the Government says terms of reference and inquiry members will be revealed in early 2018.
9. Introduce legislation to make medicinal cannabis available for people with terminal illnesses or in chronic pain.
Done.
The Government introduced its Bill on medicinal cannabis on the last sitting day before Christmas - 20 December.
10. Resume contributions to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund to help safeguard the provision of universal superannuation at age 65.
Done.
11. Introduce legislation to set a child poverty reduction target and to change the Public Finance Act so the Budget reports progress on reducing child poverty.
To be announced. This one is Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's responsibility - she is Minister for Child Poverty Reduction.
12. Increase the minimum wage to $16.50 an hour, to take effect from April 1, 2018, and introduce legislation to improve fairness in the workplace.
Underway. Workplace Minister Iain Lees-Galloway's office says the Prime Minister's and Deputy Prime Minister's offices are working on the legislation and it will be introduced early next year before the 100 days are up.
13. Establish the tax working group.
Before Christmas. The tax working group has a chair - Sir Michael Cullen - and has been given its objectives, but the rest of the group hasn't been appointed. The Government says the group's first meeting will be before February.
14. Establish the Pike River Recovery Agency and assign a responsible Minister.
Done, mostly. The agency has two members and Andrew Little was appointed the Minister in charge.
15. Set up an inquiry into the abuse of children in state care.
In progress. The office of the Minister for Children Tracey Martin says it hopes to have an announcement in a couple of weeks.
16. Hold a Clean Waters Summit on cleaning up our rivers and lakes.
Scrapped. This is no longer a goal for the Government, as New Zealand First opposes a water tax, essentially rendering a summit pointless.
Instead, the Government has a new goal - to pass a waka-jumping bill - which is part of Labour's coalition deal with New Zealand First.
17. Set the zero carbon emissions goal and begin setting up the independent Climate Commission.
Done, kind of. This is the only 100-day goal in the hands of the Green Party.
James Shaw, Minister for Climate Change, announced the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Plans for an interim independent Climate Commission have been announced.
Newshub.
