- By Christopher Luxon, the MP for Botany and National Party Leader
It’s been just over 12 months since I was elected the MP for Botany and just a few weeks ago I became the Leader of the National Party. I’m humbled to have received so many messages of support and encouragement and I’d like to sincerely thank everyone who has sent me a note or come up to see me out and about in the community.
It has been an incredible privilege to represent you over the last year. As I’ve said, I will be no less dedicated to our communities and my team will be just as accessible and available as ever. By working together, we have managed to secure some great wins for Botany, like getting the Government to scrap their ridiculous $785 million cycle bridge idea and reprioritise funding towards the Eastern Busway.
New Zealanders have done it extremely tough this year under the impacts of Covid-19 and under a complacent and incompetent Labour Government.
There will be empty seats around the Christmas dinner table because a million missing Kiwis won’t be able to get home thanks to our broken MIQ system. Aucklanders have got podium fatigue and, after 15 weeks in a “short and sharp” lockdown, we’ve had endless announcements of announcements and inconsistent rules and messages.
The squeezed middle are being squeezed harder. Groceries, petrol and other living costs are only getting more expensive, yet our wages aren’t keeping up, so people can’t get ahead and they ultimately end up with fewer choices and opportunities.
Now more than ever, New Zealand needs a National Government with an ambitious, confident plan for the future, and the ability to actually deliver on its commitments. Under my leadership, National will be a government of action – unlike our current government of nice ideas and good intentions.
The next National Government will create a more productive economy that lifts incomes so people have more choices to live the lives they want to lead. We will build a world-class education system, we will reduce crime and keep our neighbourhoods safe, we will support our farmers to remain world leading, we will protect and enhance our environment and we will unleash enterprise and back small businesses.
You’ll hear more about National’s vision and plans from me in the New Year but you can rest assured that while we will continue to hold the Labour Government to account for their wasteful spending and their inability to deliver, we will also be listening closely to Kiwis and developing the smart and practical policy to be a credible alternative government.
I hope that you and your family get the genuine break that you deserve. For me, the summer season is an opportunity to connect and spend time with friends, family and loved ones. It gives me a chance to bring that work balance back into perspective a bit, recharge my batteries and get ready for the big job ahead. New Zealand at Christmas time is a magical place, where we see the country displaying its very best. You just can’t beat a Kiwi summer.
From my family to yours, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2022. Stay safe and have a great summer.
