Press Release

Opinion Piece: The Future Belongs to Families and It Begins with Us

Alfred Ngaro, Leader of the NewZeal Party.

Husband. Father. Grandfather.

Believer in the future. 

I was given the name Alf Metuakore by my father Daniela and my late mother Toko. They both come from the Cook Islands, and I am their second son, one of five children, and the first generation born in New Zealand.

I still hear the sound of their migrant story. My parents, uncles, and aunties came to Aotearoa to build a better future in a land they’d heard described as the "land of milk and honey." They gave up their roles as landowners, and left behind the warmth of collective village leadership and life, and embraced a foreign, unfamiliar routine.

In our world, family or anau was everything. It was grandparents, parents, uncles, aunties, cousins, and angai (adopted) children all living together, bound by faith in God, acting responsibly, and loving each other. Over time, our family system assimilated and adapted to survive and succeed in this new land. Yet, with change came the need to preserve our core values.

I feel a deep responsibility to honour that legacy. To keep hoping. To keep creating opportunities for our children and grandchildren.

Today, it's my turn.

I’ve been married for 39 years to the love of my life, Moka, the extraordinary mother of our four children. We’re now proud grandparents of two beautiful grandchildren. Every time I step into a public debate or political arena, I carry with me the strength of that family, my greatest supporters, my firm foundation.

We don’t take each other for granted. Our family has learned to make sacrifices. We live with unconditional love and lean hard on our faith in God. We believe that strong families are the building blocks of a healthy, resilient society.

At NewZeal, we believe in New Zealand families, because when families flourish, nations thrive.

But today, the families of this beloved country are struggling under immense pressure. Whether it's the rising cost of living, a housing crisis, the erosion of quality time together, or the breakdown of moral and cultural foundations, the modern New Zealand family is being tested like never before.

Too often, our political system has treated the family as an afterthought, when in fact, it should be the cornerstone of our future.

We see the signs all around us:

• Marriage rates are falling.

• Children are growing up more isolated, more anxious, and more economically vulnerable.

• Grandparents are living longer but are less integrated, often stepping in to raise grandchildren.

• Fathers are absent in more homes.

• And our civic culture too often undermines, rather than upholds, these traditional conservative values that have sustained families.

Let me be clear: this is not about nostalgia, it’s about necessity.

Families have always evolved. They’ve endured hardship, adapted to change, and remained resilient. Whether it’s a four-bedroom home in South Auckland, a flat in Wellington, the farming towns of Southland or a marae in Northland, family and whanau is where identity is shaped, values are passed down, and the next generation learns what it means to be human.

Family is where we learn to love, and to be loved.

The problem isn’t that families have changed. The problem is that our political priorities haven’t kept up with demands of change and have stopped investing in what makes families strong.

That’s why the NewZeal Party is committed to a new political focus: putting families first.

We’re not talking about handouts. We’re not making hollow promises. We’re talking about practical, courageous policy that reduces pressure, restores dignity, and renews hope for every family in Aotearoa.

So here is my message to you, Aotearoa: we still believe in families. And we believe in your family.

We believe that parenting matters. That children need boundaries and love. That elders carry wisdom. That homes, not bureaucracies, are the true heart of the nation.

This is the vision NewZeal offers. A politics not of division, but of restoration. A hope that doesn’t come from the government, but from the strength of everyday people standing for what matters most.

Let’s build a New Zealand where families are not just surviving, they’re thriving.

Let’s choose faith over fear, responsibility over rhetoric, and hope over helplessness.

Let’s choose Family. Because when the family wins, we all win.