This week the National Party launched its 2020 election policy development process, beginning with the ‘Have your say’ listening campaign for small businesses.
We want to hear from New Zealanders about what matters to you and let you share your ideas for this country’s future. This is about listening, because we know you care about New Zealand’s future and you know what the Government can do to help you get ahead.
We’ll use that to develop discussion documents next year and to put forward final policies in 2020.
We’re beginning with small businesses, the engine room of the economy. They create $80 billion of wealth each year and employ some 600,000 Kiwis. This Government is not listening to them but National will.
We want to hear about the biggest issues affecting them and their growth, what Government policies they’re most concerned about, and the laws and regulations that could be improved. That’s never been more important than it is now.
Two years ago New Zealand had the second-highest business confidence in the developed world. Now we’ve plummeted to fourth-to-last on the back of this Government’s anti-growth policies such as union-friendly labour law reform and their crackdown on overseas investment.
We’ve heard from countless small business owners who feel the Government is out of touch and lacks real-world experience. They don’t know about the stresses and strains of working in and on a business while trying to keep on top of paperwork and grow.
National believes they deserve better. Every large company in New Zealand began as a small business. The world-beaters of tomorrow are hidden among the ranks of our hard-working small businesses today. We need the right policies to help them thrive.
Small businesses deserve to be heard, so we’ve launched a portal at www.national.org.nz/haveyoursay to give them an easy way to share their views. I will also be out and about in Pakuranga speaking to our local business owners to hear what they have to say.
We’re doing the work now because we don’t want to be like the current Government who did nothing in opposition and have now set up more than 160 reviews and working groups costing $170 million to figure out what to do. That uncertainty is what’s behind plummeting business confidence and we’ll learn from their mistakes.
Together we can develop a plan to deliver on the things that are important to New Zealanders. We’ll do that work and we’ll be ready with plans and proposals in 2020.
Simeon Brown, MP for Pakuranga
