The BFD | ACT’s Week in Action

ACT Party

Parliament might be in recess, we have kept our foot on the accelerator.

This week we released the first of three new policy discussion documents, the media described ACT as “a force,” we exposed more wasteful Government spending, David Seymour raised $24,800 for child cancer and our MPs got around the country for Honest Conversations and a Howl of a Protest.

In the News

Housing and Infrastructure Document

ACT has been listening and we know that housing is one of the biggest issues facing New Zealanders. ACT has put forward a package that would solve the underlying problem in housing. We need new ways to fund and build infrastructure, new coordination between central and local government, new rules for consenting land, and new ways of accessing building materials.

ACT would:

Introduce a GST Sharing Scheme with local councils, encouraging them to build more houses
Remove barriers to finance build-to-rent schemes
Introduce a Public-Private Partnership Agency known as the ‘Nation-Building Agency’ (NBA)

Our policy announcement caught the attention of Newstalk ZB, Radio NZ, NZ Herald and Stuff. TVNZ and Newshub were there to film the announcement.

All the details of our new policy can be found here.

A force to be reckoned with

Our Policy announcements caught the attention of Mike Hosking who said..

“There is a very good reason why ACT is on the rise, not just in the last election, but post it as well. They have made hay in a world where shambles, unprofessional behaviour, and infighting have caused havoc elsewhere.

Labour are a mess of non-delivery, hot air, and amateurism. National has been pre-occupied with leakers and backstabbing. The M?ori Party have been busy with ties, hats, and grandstanding. The Greens, to be fair, have been consistent in messaging but are lost in the fact they are sort of part of the government but swallowed by the Labour machine and its attached baggage.

So good old ACT have plugged away. Releasing policy, holding the government to account in a way that has actually got attention, and as a result generally been rewarded for looking like they have their eye on the ball…. If they can be this effective at this stage of the electoral cycle, they’re going to be a force come 2023.

Thanks Mike, we’ll keep listening to New Zealanders and work hard to represent them in Parliament.

Lunch with David for a good cause

Ryan Bridge from Magic Talk has carried out a 36-hour Talkathon to raise money for the Child Cancer Foundation. David Seymour auctioned a lunch at Parliament’s restaurant Bellamys and a tour of Parliament. It went for an astonishing $12,400.

Deciding the markets had set that as the price – he sold a second lunch and the same price. ACT is proud to have raised $24,800 for a great cause.

Support for surrogacy

ACT announced this week it would offer 10 votes in support of Tamati Coffey’s Surrogacy Bill.

New Zealand’s current laws are too complicated and full of ambiguity. We believe this Bill is a sensible way of allowing people to complete their families with protections for all of those involved in the process.

A new rule at Parliament says that if a Member of Parliament can get 61 votes for their Member’s Bill, it can go straight on the Order Paper to be debated, rather than sitting in the Ballot waiting for the luck of the draw.

The 61 votes need to come from MPs who aren’t Ministers. Labour has 38, The Green Party has eight, ACT has 10. That’s 56 votes.

ACT is now calling on The M?ori Party and National to do what’s right and support this life-changing Bill.

We understand many New Zealanders struggle with fertility. We also understand that surrogacy is one of the few options available to same-sex couples to complete their family.

Unnecessary spending called out

Brooke van Velden and Mark Cameron have been holding the Government’s feet to the fire over its wasteful spending.

Brooke pointed out how pointless is was for NZTA to spend $1 million renovating homes they’re about to demolish, while Mark stood up for our struggling horticulture industry who’s received a paltry $300,000 in support from Government while they spent a million bucks on an unnecessary rebrand.

These might seem like small amounts to the Government, but this money comes from hardworking taxpayers and it all adds up.

Are you a Legitimate Ute Driver?

Jacinda Ardern might not think you’re a legitimate ute driver, but ACT has your back.

ACT Approved, “Legitimate Ute Driver” bumper stickers are now available for $5 from danae.smith@act.org.nz

Want to join the ACT team?

We are recruiting for a new staff member based in Christchurch.

The Parliamentary Unit is looking for someone to plan tours and set up events around the South Island. The role involves planning routes, booking meeting venues, driving a minibus and setting up stalls at events around the South Island. Ideally, you’ll be familiar with South Island roads and conditions and happy to be on the road for 3-4 nights once every three weeks and some weekends. You will also be accompanying MPs to A&P shows, farmers markets and other events. You need a HT (Class 2) Drivers licence, ideally with a P endorsement.

If you or someone you know would be interested, please use this link.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Our Honest Conversation Tour continues… The times and dates are on our website. We can’t wait to see you there.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

Honest Conversation Tour

This week we visited Ashburton, Fairlie, Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin, Alexandra, Hokitika, Greymouth, Westport, Porirua, Levin, Paraparaumu, Otorohanga, Cambridge and Hamilton.

A Howl of a Protest

All 10 of our MPs have been at the Groundswell Protests around the country today showing our support for rural and provincial New Zealand. Rural New Zealand has become a punching bag for the Government. They’ve taken blow after blow as a raft of new regulations shows just what this Government really thinks about the primary sector.

Whether it’s freshwater and winter grazing, a ban on live exports, Significant Natural Areas, indigenous biodiversity or a tax on utes, rural New Zealand has taken a hammering.

ACT is listening to rural New Zealand.