Nats hopeful backs youth policy

National’s candidate in the Hamilton West byelection, Tama Potaka, admitted in a debate that a youth-offending policy similar to the one his party announced last week had stopped only 15 per cent of youth from reoffending.

Potaka and National leader Christopher Luxon last week said the party would create young-offender military academies where those aged 15 to 17 could be sent for up to 12 months.

Potaka yesterday defended the policy in a debate between the byelection candidates on TVNZ’s Q+A , saying a similar policy from the last National government had seen 15 per cent not reoffend, and a drop in serious violent offences.

“Fifteen per cent of people who went to MAC, the military academies under the National Government, actually didn’t reoffend,” Potaka said.

Asked by moderator Jack Tame whether this meant 85 per cent did reoffend, Potaka said many had switched from serious violent offences.

“Fifty per cent no serious violent offending and that is what Labour is soft on,” he said.

Debate was dominated by local reflections on national issues such as crime and the cost of living. But Tame also tried to get candidates to challenge their party lines.

Potaka spoke of indexing the tax thresholds as a solution to inflation woes, but would not commit support to National’s more unpopular policy: removing the top tax bracket.

Potaka said people need “some tax relief in the form of inflation indexing”.

“And that top tax rate, don’t forget that,” Tame interjected. Potaka did not acknowledge the interjection and finished the debate without mention of National’s policy to repeal the 39 per cent top rate.

In a section of the debate where candidates were asked how they might differ from v party lines, Labour’s Georgie Dansey acknowledged the “cost of living, the issues with housing” and said she wanted “Labour to do a lot more”.