A Waikato University associate professor is certain social wellbeing will be one of the main topics in the upcoming election.
On Monday, Labour party leader David Cunliffe said if elected, it will pay $60 a week to most families with newborns, for the baby's first year.
Whanau on modest and middle incomes would continue receiving the payment until the child turns three.
Waikato University Associate Professor Leonie Pihama, who leads a research project into raising children according to Maori practices, says Labour and other parties are advocating for children and it's a challenge National needs to consider.
She says what she can see is that more and more parties are focussing on social wellbeing rather than economics, and it could lead to a collaborative policy being created by them.
Dr Pihama says parties including the Greens, Mana and Maori parties have also advocated for changes.
