Policies
According to Christian Heritage New Zealand's self-description, the party aimed "to provide leadership that takes the initiative in building a culture that affirms marriage, strengthens families, and celebrates life as a precious gift of God. We believe these are the key issues that need to be addressed if we are to make an impact for the next generation."
It described its three key policies as "Affirming Marriage, Building Families and Celebrating Life", i.e. opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion and support of law-and-order.
The party espoused strongly conservative views on social policy. It favoured law-changes to strengthen heterosexual marriage and to prevent same-sex marriage and civil unions. The CHP had an anti-abortion stance, but for most of its existence, the Party supported the re-introduction into New Zealand of capital punishment (abolished in 1989). Christian Heritage NZ supported restrictions on prostitution, as well as mandatory standards for television with a view to reducing violence and pornography.
In economic policy Christian Heritage espoused moderately right-wing views, and stressed that "economic policy cannot be viewed in isolation" from social matters. In education the Party emphasised parental influence over the curriculum and parents' rights to choose the school their child attended. The Party supported victims' rights.
CHP supported New Zealand's constitutional monarchy. In foreign affairs, the party supported New Zealand's alliance with Australia and a resumption of its alliance with the United States. From the New Zealand general election, 1999, the CHP supported New Zealand's anti-nuclear policy, whereas beforehand it had endorsed return to the ANZUS alliance, but not necessarily the return of nuclear-armed ships.
Christian Heritage NZ claimed broad-based support from members of various Protestant denominations and from the Roman Catholic Church, although many of its past members appeared to have held membership of the tiny Reformed Churches of New Zealand, composed largely of conservative Calvinist Dutch immigrants. The party had long required its members to publicly declare themselves as Christians. Some commentators criticised this rigid confessional policy for supposedly limiting the party's base.
Read more about this topic: Christian Heritage Party Of New Zealand
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