6. Active government

Politicians must work to achieve long-term, bipartisan government commitment to Big Community:

  • Articulate the vision for Big Community, grounded in human rights and the social model of disability, and counter resistance to it.
  • Test and refine the economic, social, cultural and health rationales for Big Community and use the results to provide regulation and resources for Big Community.
  • Fund social inclusion programmes with urgency and create a culture where social exclusion is unacceptable.
  • Lead public acknowledgement of the harm done by Big Psychiatry and the State.
  • Review mental health and related laws to comply with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
  • Target and measure the growth of wellbeing as much as the growth of wealth.
  • Invest in prevention and support in the first three years of life.
  • Reduce the social determinants of distress, particularly early-life trauma, inequality, poverty, homelessness, and the impact of colonisation.
  • Establish a Wellbeing Commission to oversee the transition to Big Community.

Human rights

All Big Community values, legislation, policies, practices, services and standards are founded on cultural values of equality, respect and dignity which have shaped New Zealand human rights legislation and international human rights agreements that New Zealand has ratified. These include the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention Against Torture, Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.