ACT leader David Seymour, who spoke to party faithful in Pakuranga last week, believes Labour will not be re-elected at the next general election.
Seymour, addressing around 130 people at the Pakuranga United Rugby Club on his party’s Real Change Tour through NZ, said Labour was no more than a group of union operatives “who got here by a series of accidents”.
“I don’t think this accidental government can make it for a third term,” Seymour said.
“For the first time in 15 years, the majority of people are saying we’re going in the wrong direction.”
“We have a cost-of-living crisis, local communities struggle to get the infrastructure they need and crime is getting worse. Kiwis have overwhelmingly told us that New Zealand is moving in the wrong direction.”
Seymour pushed three areas of focus for ACT.
“ACT MPs will take this opportunity to listen so we can develop smart and enduring policies that create a healthier economy, thriving communities and include us all in the Kiwi identity,” he said.
“A healthy economy means it shouldn’t take longer to get permission to do something than to do it. Government departments shouldn’t grow every year just because they can. People should be rewarded, not punished, for their efforts.
“Thriving communities should be built on freedom and personal responsibility. A gang shouldn’t be the best career path for kids in any town. Welfare shouldn’t be a lifestyle choice. Schools should be equipping kids to navigate the 21st Century instead of pushing the Ministry of Education’s latest dogma.”
Co-governance was raised by two members of the audience and is an issue ACT has taken very much to heart, underlined by its announcement last month that it will campaign for a referendum on the subject.
“Our democracy is quietly being dismantled. We’re being transformed from a nation-state, where everyone has the same rights, to an ethno-state, where your rights depend on who your grandparents were,” Seymour said.
“The worst idea in human history is that we should treat people differently based on their group, rather than treating them as an individual. It makes the colour of your skin more important than the content of your character.”
Seymour said there has been no debate on co-governance – including Three Waters and He Puapua.
“It has never been openly discussed or debated. Nobody in government has ever asked whether we want it. There’s just an assumption that different people should have different political rights,” he said.
“People feel unable to criticise it for fear of being called racist. They ask, where is this coming from?
“In a democracy, we the people have the right to determine the future of our country. The best way to have our say is a referendum on co-governance.
“People who support co-governance would have to explain why different people should have different political rights. That is a debate worth having.”
