The OECD’s criticism of our slow vaccine rollout should serve as a grim warning to the Government that it needs to pick up the pace, National’s Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop says. New Zealand has the second slowest Covid-19 vaccine rollout in the OECD and ranked
CensusAtSchool Co-director Rachel Cunliffe Seven out of ten New Zealand school students say that learning at home was the same or better during lockdown compared to learning in school normally, the latest results of a nationwide survey suggests. The insight comes from CensusAtSchool TataurangaKiTeKura, a non-profit, online educational
Darroch Ball Co-Leader/Spokesperson Sensible Sentencing Trust The revelation that Associate Minister of Justice Willie Jackson has met with gang members as a ‘part of his job’ shows the total misdirection this government is heading in with justice and law-and-order, says Darroch Ball, co-leader of Sensible
The Free Speech Union is announcing its support of an appeal to the Supreme Court, of parts of last month’s Court of Appeal decision in the Goff “divisive speaker ban” case. Last month, the Court of Appeal told Auckland Council it could not hide from human rights law behind
Leader of the Opposition Judith Collins thanks Dr Nick Smith for his 30 years of service to New Zealand following his decision to retire today. “Nick has been a dedicated MP to Nelson, and the wider New Zealand public, for three decades. I would like to acknowledge his career and
National MP Nick Smith has announced he will retire from Parliament on 10 June at the end of the current Parliamentary sitting block. “I have decided to retire for personal and professional reasons, including a current Parliamentary Services inquiry into an employment issue. “I was disappointed to lose the Nelson
Dane Giraud Free Speech Union The Free Speech Union is writing a ‘please explain’ to Christchurch City Council and its libraries after the feminist group ‘Speak-up for Women’ was banned from holding an event to discuss a controversial piece of legislation relating to sex identification. “This decision totally ignores
Labour’s Broken Compass Budget has failed to address the growing critical threats to New Zealand’s digital infrastructure, National’s spokesperson for Digital Economy and Communications Melissa Lee says. “We only have to look at what’s happening to the Waikato DHB to know how important it is to
The Government’s newly named Provincial Growth Fund isn’t anything new, it merely demonstrates its inability to deliver for New Zealanders, National’s Economic Development spokesperson Todd McClay says. “In 2017 Grant Robertson said the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) ‘says everything about what I want this Government to be
It is right to have important conversations around inequities, but it is wrong to peddle crude, simplistic, stereotypes imported from America which are more divisive than constructive, National’s Education spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says. “Teachers are being shown videos that instruct them to list their ‘privileges’ and view their students
The Climate Commission should be presenting New Zealand with a range of viable options for emissions reduction with cost analysis included, National’s Climate Change Spokesperson Stuart Smith says. “Climate Commission Chair Dr Rod Carr’s column on why he is not recommending a least cost pathway fails to answer
It’s disappointing a women’s group has been blocked from holding an event at Christchurch City Libraries to discuss the proposed amendments to the Births Deaths Marriages Relationships Registration Bill, Leader of the Opposition Judith Collins says. Christchurch City Libraries cancelled the group’s event after receiving complaints from
It’s taken far too long for the Government move on saliva testing at the border but National welcomes the announcement nonetheless, National’s Covid-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop says. “National has been pushing for the Government to include saliva testing as part of the testing methods for our border
Once again the Ministry of Health has quietly updated it’s timeline for vaccinating New Zealanders, this time pushing out the start date for when the majority of Kiwis can begin to be vaccinated, National’s Covid-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop says. “In late April the Ministry of Health website
A key dental health promise from Labour during the election has been dropped in order to pay for its radical $486 million Health restructure, National’s Health spokesperson Dr Shane Reti says. Labour promised New Zealanders during the 2020 campaign that it would increase the amount people could claim for
The Government must explain why despite a significant increase in the number of people supported by Whanau Ora throughout COVID-19, no additional funding in Budget 2021 was provided, National’s Whanau Ora spokesperson Louise Upston says. “During COVID-19 Whanau Ora provided a range of critical supports to over
