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$6.5 million in MIQ fees overdue and unpaid
NZ

$6.5 million in MIQ fees overdue and unpaid

After nearly a year of charging for MIQ, it’s staggering the Government hasn’t made paying for MIQ easier and made more of an effort to go after those who aren’t paying their fees, National’s Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop says. Answers to written questions show the

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white duck on gray rock near body of water during daytime
NZ

If It Looks like a Tax and Walks like a Tax…

This Government is proposing a significant tax on Mum and Dad landlords despite promising prior to the election that they would impose no new taxes, National’s Shadow Treasurer Andrew Bayly says. “According to advice from Treasury, IRD, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development dated February 2021, the

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Making Room for Speech Criminals in Prison

Making Room for Speech Criminals in Prison

Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis has not been shy about his aim to rapidly reduce the prison population by 30 per cent and it is perhaps the only target this Government is actually going to meet. However, Labour’s ‘Hate-Speech’ law changes might put a spanner in the works, National’s

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Time to Review Lockdowns

Time to Review Lockdowns

Bruce Welsh New Conservative Board Member Let’s think again about lockdowns and their widespread impact. After one couple caused 500,000 people in the wider Wellington region to be in level 2 lockdown for a week, it is time to ask “are lockdowns the best response to Covid?” The

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Free Speech Union Welcome Judith Collins as Member

Free Speech Union Welcome Judith Collins as Member

Free Speech Union Dr David Cumin The Free Speech Union is pleased to welcome aboard its newest member, National Party Leader, the Hon Judith Collins, and believe it is the first time a serving leader of the National Party has joined a registered trade union. Free Speech Union spokesman, Dr

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Minimal Change in Child Poverty Targets as Cost of Living Bites
NZ

Minimal Change in Child Poverty Targets as Cost of Living Bites

The Labour Government’s reset of poverty targets three years later describes an admission of policy failure under rising costs, especially housing, National’s Children spokesperson Dr Shane Reti says. “Of the three targets that the Government has announced, the new ‘before-housing-costs target is unchanged from three years ago, the

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Hipkins’ Comments Staggeringly Naïve

Hipkins’ Comments Staggeringly Naïve

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins’ comments that ‘there’s no major downside’ to New Zealand’s slow vaccine roll out are staggeringly naïve, National’s Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop says. “There are two ‘major downsides’ to being the slowest in the developed world to roll out the Covid-19 vaccine.

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bubbles going upwards on a body of water
NZ

Three Waters Reforms Remain Unconvincing

While there’s a clear case for change in our Three Waters sector the Government’s plan isn’t compelling, and the model of four regional entities comes with several problems, National’s Water spokesperson Simon Bridges says. “The problems with Three Waters are complex, National recognises that, and we

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Still No Clarity from Our Confused Prime Minister

Still No Clarity from Our Confused Prime Minister

The Prime Minister did not rule out yesterday that potential hate speech crimes will have a more severe maximum prison sentence than the crime of ‘assault on a child’, Leader of the Opposition Judith Collins says. “This is consistent with her Government’s ongoing trend of poor prioritisation and complete

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Car Tax Pushing up Prices of EVs
NZ

Car Tax Pushing up Prices of EVs

Labour’s Car Tax is not only forcing hardworking Kiwis to pay more because they can’t switch to an electric vehicle, but it’s pushing up the prices of electric vehicles too, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says. “EV importers have seen the price of a used electric

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Alarm Bells Should Be Ringing in Education
NZ

Alarm Bells Should Be Ringing in Education

The Education Review Office warning of a ‘slippage of expectations’ in mathematics teaching must be the catalyst to turnaround declining achievement in foundational subjects, National’s Education spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says. “It is critical our education system is internationally competitive so our students are equipped with the knowledge and skills

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RMA Reform a Grab at Wokeism
NZ

RMA Reform a Grab at Wokeism

The Government needs to act with much more urgency to cut through our complex planning rules and free up housing supply, Leader of the Opposition Judith Collins says. “The real risk is that at the end of this process we end up with something that is more costly, complicated and

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Transition from Plastics Requires Kiwi Ingenuity

Transition from Plastics Requires Kiwi Ingenuity

National are broadly in agreement with the Government’s decision to phase out a range of particularly problematic plastics, National’s Environment spokesperson Scott Simpson says. “There won’t be many New Zealanders who don’t think we have too much plastic in our lives and that much of it,

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rusting Motel signage during daytime
NZ

$100 Million to Top 50 Emergency Housing Motels in Nine Months

An eye-watering $99.87 million has been paid to the top 50 emergency housing moteliers in the nine months to March 2021 compared to $21 million for the whole of 2017/18 and is a stark indicator of just how big this crisis has become, says National’s Social Development

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