A party in panic

I am ever the optimist, but the increasing surety that the National

Party will retain the Northland seat, and regain the country, in the next election has surprised even me. Even more surprising is who is telling me that. It is the Labour Party.

Labour is a party in panic. How else can you explain their incessant and ineffectual attempts to justify their failure to deliver on so many promises? What about their equally incessant and now old excuse of “Nine years of neglect” almost three years into their own term in government? What about the 180-degree about-turn on infrastructure spending (announced in election year)?

This acknowledges that National’s commitment to infrastructure was right all along, and that Labour’s ideologically-driven policies have failed to take the country forward. In fact they have taken it backwards in many cases.

This week National announced our economic plan heading into election 2020. We understand the economy and how it impacts New Zealanders’ day to day lives. The global economy is uncertain, but New Zealand should have been doing well. Our commodity prices are high and our terms of trade are near the best they have ever been. Despite that, under the economic management of Labour, the Greens and NZ First, the economy is declining and we’re drifting when we should be thriving.

The Ardern-Peters government has consistently failed to deliver on its promises, has piled on the tax, cost and red tape, and made things more uncertain domestically at a time of global uncertainty. As a result New Zealand has become a country of lost opportunities.

Three years ago our economy was growing at nearly 4 per cent a year, and we are now almost half of that and falling. We have slipped to the 7thlowest GDP per capita growth in the OECD. Job growth has dropped from 10,000 new jobs a month under National to barely 1000 a month. Someone on the average wage in New Zealand is almost $4000 a year worse off thanks to Labour, the Greens and NZ First. The median rent is up $2600 a year because of the government’s added taxes and regulations on landlords. Higher petrol taxes have made it $200 a year more expensive for the typical person to fill up their car.

We have already announced our plans to index tax brackets to the cost of living and repeal the Auckland fuel tax. In the coming months we will announce our full tax plan, that will see people on the average wage better off and keeping more of what they earn. National will cut red tape and regulation and build both the transport and social infrastructure our country needs. We won’t be afraid to partner with the private sector to deliver projects that matter to us all. That means we will be able deliver more roads, more rail, more transport and more social infrastructure, faster and better.

Roll on September 19.

"The Ardern-Peters government has consistently failed to deliver on its promises, has piled on the tax, cost and red tape, and made things more uncertain domestically at a time of global uncertainty. "