FAQs
What are your main goals?
The purposes and aims of the Trust – as stated in our Trust Deed – shall be as follows:
A. To promote and advance research and policy supporting marriage and family as foundational to a strong and enduring society.
B. To educate the public in their understanding of the institutional, legal and moral framework that makes a just and democratic society possible.
C. To participate in social analysis.
D. To produce and publish relevant and stimulating material in newspapers, magazines, and other media.
E. To be a voice for the family in the media.
F. To carry out such other charitable purposes within New Zealand as the Trust shall determine.
What do you mean by Family?
Principles on Family:
- We affirm that the natural family, not the individual, is the fundamental social unit.
- We affirm the natural family to be the union of a man and a woman through marriage for the purposes of sharing love and joy, raising children, providing their moral education, building a vital home economy, offering security in times of trouble, and binding the generations.
- We affirm that the natural family is a fixed aspect of the created order, one implanted in human nature. Through time it may grow weaker or stronger. However, the natural family cannot change into some new shape; nor can it be re-defined by eager social engineers.
- We affirm that the natural family is the foundational family system. While we acknowledge varied living situations caused by circumstance or dysfunction, all other “family forms” are incomplete or fabrications of the state.
- We acknowledge the tremendous contribution made by single parents and step-parents in society. We wish to ensure they receive appropriate levels of assistance, without denying the clear empirical evidence that the best environment in which to raise children is the natural two-parent, husband-wife family.
- We affirm the marital union to be the authentic sexual bond, the only one open to the natural and responsible creation of new life.
- We affirm the sanctity of human life from conception to death; each newly conceived person holds rights to live, to grow, to be born, and to share a home with his or her natural parents bound by marriage.
- We affirm that the natural family is prior to the state and that the task of government is to shelter and encourage the natural family.
- We affirm that the world is abundant in resources. The breakdown of the natural family and the consequential moral and political failure, not human “overpopulation,” account for poverty, starvation, and environmental decay.
- We affirm that the complementarity of the sexes is a source of strength. Men and women exhibit profound biological and psychological differences. When united in marriage, the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts.
- We affirm that lasting solutions to human problems rise out of families and small communities. They cannot be imposed by bureaucratic and judicial fiat. Nor can they be coerced by outside force.
Adapted from “The Natural Family: A Manifesto” – World Congress of Families
International Instruments referring to the family as the “natural and fundamental group unit of society” and entitled to protection by society and the state (i.e. New Zealand as a state party)
Universal Declaration of Human Rights Art 16
Article 3
The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
New Zealand’s state commitment to this instrument is affirmed by paragraph (b) in the Short Title to the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, Article 23.1
1. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to the protection by society and the state
International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights
Article 10.1
1. The widest possible protection and assistance should be accorded to the family, which is the natural and fundamental group unit of society, particularly for its establishment and while it is responsible for the care and education of dependent children.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC)
This Convention was signed by New Zealand on 1 October 1990 and adopted on 6 April 1993. The preamble to that convention states:
That the family, is the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and wellbeing of all members and particularly children, should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume its responsibilities with the community.
Protection of the Family resolution. July 2016
UN Human Rights Council (HRC)
Reaffirms that the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society, and is entitled to protection by society and the State;
Calls upon States to render appropriate assistance to parents and legal guardians in the performance of their child-rearing responsibilities
How are you funded?
We are funded by groups, organisations and individuals like you – who want to see a strong voice for families in the media and community.
How do I join?
There are three ways that you can become an official supporter of Family First
* SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to receive our Midweek Update newsletters; and/or
* INVEST: Make a financial gift towards the work of Family First NZ; and/or
* GET ACTIVE: We’re always looking for volunteer ‘family advocates’ around the country, or expert advice, or families who will speak well of us in their local community. Email us if you have some great ideas about how you can increase the voice and impact of Family First in your area
Do you have to vote for Family First?
No! Family First is not a political party so you can’t vote for us. Our membership is a simple way of saying that you are joining with us in focusing on and researching important family issues in New Zealand.
You can sign up to join the almost 28,000 subscribers (at last count!) who receive our weekly email updates, and you can be one of almost 3,700 financial members (also at last count!) who have supported us through financial gifts, either as a one-off, for specific projects, or on an on-going basis. More details here
Any other questions?
Please use our Contact Form to contact us and we will answer your question/s as soon as possible.