The issues that shaped Labour's victory
Family matters in referendum vote
On an average day, the Randalls’ east Auckland home is full of ‘‘creative chaos’’.
The whole family, parents Rachel and Daniel Randall, their 6-year-old daughter Stevie and son Myles, 3, are all very active and the children are encouraged to ‘‘dream big’’.
‘‘I don’t want Covid to stop my kids from dreaming and from imagining what they could be when they grow up and I want them to chase every opportunity,’’ Rachel Randall says.
Rachel, 32, works as an information officer at Elim Christian College, where Stevie is in Year 2 and Daniel, 33, is an engineering manager.
Myles started kindy in September. His first day was meant to be in June, but his parents had to delay it because of the pandemic.
The family own their own home, which has a decent backyard with a trampoline.
Life’s busy, but they feel blessed to have made it through Auckland’s double lockdowns relatively unscathed financially.
When it comes to the election, Rachel says she and Daniel’s biggest concerns had lain with the assisted dying and cannabis referendums.
While to some people, it may seem like the result of referendums – the preliminary results of which will not be announced until October 30 – will have little impact on such young children, Rachel is worried about how the potential law changes could shape the country Stevie and Myles will grow up in. She voted no in both. When it comes to cannabis, she’s concerned that legalisation will normalise its use, which could lead to it becoming more accessible to youth, including their own kids and their friends as they get older.
She’s also troubled by what she sees as possible implications of the End of Life Choice Act.
‘‘It kind of says that we don’t take mortality seriously. People can make decisions on mortality even if they’re not really in the right frame of mind. For me, educating my children I say ‘no, mortality is something that we hold as precious’. Everyone deserves a right to live a very full life,’’ she says.
The fact that Judith Collins had been clear that the National Party voted against the cannabis bill influenced Rachel’s vote. Labour leader Jacinda Ardern’s refusal to be drawn on how she’ll vote was ‘‘wishy-washy’’.
‘‘ If I look at her being a role model to parents, that’s not a very good example. As a parent when I tell my kid no, I mean no.’’