Beyond three-year cycles: The change Jacinda Ardern wants

Jacinda Ardern
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Parliament. Photo credit: Getty

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand will not see change to big issues like climate change and child poverty, until we can "get over" the three-year cycle of elections.

Ms Ardern said building consensus in Parliament is the only way to create enduring change.

This is ahead of the Prime Minister launching a Bill she's drafted that will require future Governments to have a strategy for child wellbeing.

She hopes the Bill will have backing from Opposition party National.

"My view is we will not get a long-standing solution to issues like child poverty and like climate change, until we can get over the three-yearly political cycle.

"In order to create change that endures, that often means building consensus around it, and that's what we're going to try and do around child poverty."

She said the Bill has been drafted with consideration for what is most likely to succeed in Parliament.

"That does mean I've made some decisions around what I can do to get Opposition support for this Bill too," she said.

During Labour's campaign launch in August, Ms Ardern said her goal was to end child poverty in New Zealand.

She said Labour would start by officially measuring poverty and passing a law forcing the Government to publish child poverty numbers every Budget.

During the Newshub leaders' debate, she gave a specific target - lifting 100,000 children out of poverty by 2020.

National's spokesperson for children, Paula Bennett, wasn't available for comment.

Newshub.