‘Vote for me’ – parties make their final pitch

Leaders give their final pitch on why you should vote for them.

National nal

LEADER: Bill English

LAST WORD: “New Zealand is growing well. Job numbers and wages are rising. We’ve got exciting plans to keep moving forward and address longstanding challenges. Party Vote National.”

BIG POLICIES: lower tax, lift working for families and accommodation supplement, support TPP, lend councils $1 billion for infrastructure to build more houses, offer primary schools a second language, spend $2 billion to make 90% of rivers swimmable by 2040, send worst youth offenders to boot camp, fast-track 10 new roading projects for $10 billion.

Labour abour

LEADER: Jacinda Ardern LAST WORD: “We can’t wait another three years for action on housing, rivers, poverty, and health. It’s time for a change. Party vote Labour. Let’s do this.”

BIG POLICIES: Build 100,000 affordable houses in 10 years, scrap National’s tax cuts and increase working for families and accommodation supplement, phase in free post-school study, abolish national standards, tax irrigators to fund clean rivers, oppose TPP, lift health funding especially on mental health, set up tax working group.

Greens ens

LEADER: James Shaw

LAST WORD: “A party vote for the Greens will clean up our rivers, make New Zealand world leaders in the fight against climate change, and end poverty.”

BIG POLICIES: Replace ETS with a carbon tax including an annual rebate to households, lift all welfare payments and scrap all sanctions; ban new dairy farms, free public transport for under 19 year olds.

NZ First

LEADER: Winston Peters

LAST WORD: This election is about whether you are master or servant. Your voice matters, so party vote the one party that's listening, New Zealand First

BIG POLICIES: Cut immigration to 10,000 a year net; oppose water tax on farmers, charge water bottlers, keep super age at 65, enhance SuperGold Card, return tourism GST to regions, referendum on Maori seats.

Māoriori

LEADERS: Marama Fox and Te Ururoa Flavell

LAST WORD: “The Māori Party is the only party with an independent kaupapa Māori voice in Parliament. We are out there to defend, protect and advance the rights of Māori.”

BIG POLICIES: Extend whanau ora, free GP visits, dental care and prescriptions for under 18 year olds, extend free ECE from 20 hours a week to 30 hours a week, make te reo Māori compulsory.

Act

LEADER: David Seymour

LAST WORD: “A Party Vote for ACT will keep Labour and the Greens out of power while giving National the vision and courage to address tough issues.”

BIG POLICIES: Let schools pay teachers what they want if they opt out of collective agreements, exempt large cities from RMA, give GST from construction of new houses to councils for infrastructure, cut jail time for prisoners who gain skills.

TOP

LEADER: Gareth Morgan

LAST WORD: “Vote TOP to end policy settings that entrench inequality, lock the young out of home ownership, continue a broken welfare system and do nothing to save the environment.”

BIG POLICIES: Apply tax to all income-assessable assets with no exemption for family home, phase in a $200 a week universal basic income starting with 18 to 23 years olds and the elderly, ban dairy intensification, set up cap and trade system for water allocation.